Photo Gallery Putin's World
The EU and US have come down hard on Russian President Vladimir Putin for his annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. But from the perspective of the Kremlin, it is the West that has painted Russia into a corner. Here, a new mural in Moscow of Crimea painted in the colors of Russia.
Vladimir Putin's popularity in Russia has shot up as a result of his annexation of Crimea. "The West never took Putin seriously and never developed a strategy to deal with Russias legitimate interests, says Fyodor Lukyanov, Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy in Moscow.
Ukraine has withdrawn its military from Crimea, but has posted soldiers on the new border. Many are wondering what Putin will do next.
A Ukrainian naval officer passes by armed men, thought to be Russian servicemen, as he leaves the naval headquarters in Sevastopol. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia saw the borders of NATO repeatedly expand to the east.
Russian lawmaker Alexander Chekalin carries a Crimea flag to add to a line of Russian regional flags in the hall of the Russian Federation Council building in Moscow on Monday. Another flag, that of Sevastopol, was also added. Russia saw US President George W. Bush's proposal to extend NATO membership to Georgia and Ukraine as an affront.
G-7 leaders are meeting this week in The Hague. A G-8 summit was original scheduled to be held in Sochi, but the meeting has been cancelled. The EU and US have also imposed sanctions on Russia in response to its takeover of Crimea.
A map of Eastern Europe from the perspective of the Kremlin.
