Speed Reads
Foreign affairs
Russia celebrates its annexation of Crimea by blowing up tons of fireworks
Screenshot/RTV/ITV
Russian President Vladimir Putin officially completed his controversial annexation of Crimea on Friday, so he dispatched officials to the peninsula to welcome their new neighbors. In the words of a Russian news agency, "festive fireworks" were set off in the cities of Simferopol and Sevastopol, plus a large party in Moscow.
Putin hailed the taking of Crimea as a "remarkable event" while signing a treaty that made everything official. Footage of the celebrations in Crimea were uploaded to YouTube. It remains unclear if hor d'oeuvres were served. --Jordan Valinsky