Nice try, but we were referring to the regime that was installed with Western support, that prompted Russia's response and emergency action in Crimea. I know that you know this but seem to think being coy is cute.
An interim government was quickly announced, leading Yanukovych to come out of hiding, and in a press conference, declare that he would not be relinquishing his claim to the presidency—calling the actions to appoint a new government a coup—and that he had fled Kiev when he received threats to his life.
Yanukovych’s statements provided Russia with a rationale for action. “When we see this we understand what worries the citizens of Ukraine, both Russian and Ukrainian, and the Russian-speaking population in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. It is this uncontrolled crime that worries them,”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an unscripted conversation with press on March 3rd. “Therefore, if we see such uncontrolled crime spreading to the eastern regions of the country, and if the people ask us for help, while we already have the official request from the legitimate President, we retain the right to use all available means to protect those people. We believe this would be absolutely legitimate.”
Political Legitimacy and International Law in Crimea: Pushing the U.S. and Russia Apart
