title: THE BESIEGED FORTRESS: MAKING SENSE OF RUSSIA'S ANNEXATION OF CRIMEA AND WHAT IT MEANS TO U.S. POLICY MAKERS
abstract: Abstract : President Vladimir Putins decision to invade Ukraine and annex the Crimean Peninsula in February, 2014 was influenced by numerous interrelated factors that stemmed from an overall desire to regain Russias previous spheres of influence. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Ukrainian Euromaidan protests erupted and resulted in the sudden ouster of Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych. Following Yanukovychs fall, it appears that for Russia the benefits of an invasion outweighed