IN BLACK SEA - RUSSIANS MIGHTY MOVE STUNNED WEST

The Black  Sea is located between far-southeastern Europe and the far-western boundary of Asia and Turkey. It's bordered by Turkey, and by Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and Georgia. It connects to the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosporus Strait.

Since many years the Black Sea  remains as of critical importance for trade and commerce.It serves as a main highway for the transport of energy to Europe from Russia and western Asia.This is one of the world's busiest waterways, and in  average almost 8,000 oil tankers passes through the Bosporus Strait, mostly carrying Russian oil.

Russia is very serious about Black Sea , as it is of utmost importance to its trade, commerce & shipping , besides it's strategic importance .

VLADIMIR PUTIN, the President of Russia , is one of the  most charismatic , intelligent , bold , shrewd , sharp , political leader in the world to day & probably knows very well , about  strategic importance of Black Sea to Russia. He is one of the few powerful men in the world  who can do any thing he likes to do for his country & and he did so repeatedly .

In line with this Putin strategy , he took over Crimea in March 2014  and merge it with with Russian Federation  to get followings advantages  for Russia in-spite of heavy cost, it is paying in the form of  Trade sanctions/ embargo by west & US  e.t.c..

1. It will give good control over very busy and important sea routes of Black Sea which is having massive potential of oil &gas  - A very strategic decision , at any cost.

2. It will give safe passage to Mediterranean sea .

3. It will allow Russia to take vast area under it's control & hidden hydrocarbon wealth through Crimea

4. It will help to establish strong naval base in black sea.

5. Strategic naval base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

6. To keep balance of power in view of west aggressive attitude.

7. Russia's Interest in the Crimean port of Sevastopol & other near by areas.

8. It is a good spot for Black Sea Fleet ,as well as gate way for sail to Mediterranean Sea.

9. No one can  challenge Putin's monopoly on energy exports from this region as of to day.

Crimea  became part of Ukraine when  Khrushchev gave the peninsula to his native land in 1954. This hardly mattered until the Soviet Union broke up in 1991 and Crimea ended up in an independent Ukraine. In Crimea nearly 60 percent of its population are Russians.
Actual threat to Russia came in 2009 when the pro-Western Ukrainian President Victor Yevtushenko warned that Russia will have to leave its  key port by 2017.

But pro Russian Victor Yevtushenko was elected president in 2010 in Ukraine who however agreed to extend the Russian lease until 2042 against  concessional rates for Russian gas supplies.

This government was however overthrown and pro west govt installed in Ukraine which was against Russia .

To overcome  various problems , Russia annexed the entire Crimea,o once for all to solve all related problems &  deployed fighters, bombers and ground attack planes on Crimean airfields, submarines and surface navy in the Sevastopol . This extended Russia's influence over the Black Sea and allows it to threaten shipping lanes if so needed.

Russia has left no stone unturned to have full control over Crimean peninsula, with stationing of large no. of coastal artillery, air defense batteries, marine units, and personnel's  on this unsinkable aircraft carrier . Russia's move was mostly military and population oriented .

A second reason of annexation of Crimea is to built pressure in this continent  specially on  Ukraine and on Odessa region, which borders Russia-controlled but fully-isolated Transnistria (Moldova).

Further this would give an advantage to Russia to prevent Ukraine from exploring fairly significant offshore natural gas fields around Crimea .  Russia was worried of Ukraine from becoming a gas exporter to EU at concessional rates , there by making dent in Russian export .

Whatever it may be , but this action of Russia  put it on advantageous position militarily , economically & strategically.

This only Putin can do .

No one knows , we may see such drama in future also.