WASHINGTON — They wanted to break away from a country they considered hostile. The central government cried foul, calling it a violation of international law. But with the help of a powerful foreign military, they succeeded in severing ties.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
New York Times: Crimea crisis revives issue of secession’s legitimacy
Pro-Russian supporters attend a rally under the statue of Lenin in the centre of eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on March 8, 2014. Thousands of pro-Russian activists rallied in the heartland of Ukraine's ousted leader on Saturday as Moscow threatened to cut off gas to its neighbour and keep the United States from checking on its nuclear arsenal. The rallies in industrial cities that rely on Russia for trade and whose cultural roots lie closer to Moscow than Kiev came as Kremlin-backed troops tightened their grip on Ukraine's flashpoint peninsula of Crimea. AFP PHOTO/ SERGEY BOBOK
