Reclaiming Crimea: Is it legal?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has defied the U.S., UK and Ukraine to embrace Crimea as part of Russia.
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Putin signed a bill to absorb the Black Sea peninsular into the Russian Federation, saying he had corrected a "historical injustice".
The Ukraine says it will never recognise Crimea's independence.
In a televised address to the nation, Putin said: "Our partners including the US prefer not to follow international law, but the law of the strongest.
They think about their exceptionality. They think they can decide the fate of the world - only them. They act as they wish, here and there - they just use their force against sovereign states. They build their politics - who is not with us, is against us."
Putin has drawn comparisons with Kosovo, when the U.S. supported its secession from Serbia.
He said: "The U.S. says Kosovo is a unique case. But why is it so special? This is not just double standards.
It is primitive and straightforward cynicism. You cannot change everything to suit your own interests."
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It is a crisis pitting national interests against international law. But who is to decide on issues of sovereignty, secession and self-rule?