Poll: A majority of Crimeans are against union with Russia

Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

Poll: A majority of Crimeans are against union with Russia
(Image credit: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Russia has defended its takeover of Crimea on the grounds that it is protecting the majority of Russians who live in the region. This is the same thing Russia claimed upon occupying and annexing the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at United Nations meetings in Geneva, said, "This is a question of defending our citizens and compatriots, ensuring human rights, especially the right to life."

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John Aziz is the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate editor at Pieria.co.uk. Previously his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge, and Noahpinion.