Russian President Vladimir Putin today thanked residents of Crimea for voting to annex the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, calling the move "real democracy" in a speech days ahead of Sunday's presidential election.
"With your decision you restored historical justice," he told the crowd of supporters in the city of Sevastopol, home to the Black Sea Fleet's base.
"With your decision, you showed the whole world what is real, rather than sham democracy, you came to the referendum and made a decision, you voted for your future and future of your children," Putin said.
In a rallying call, he said there are still things to improve in Crimea but "we will definitely do everything, because when we are together we are a huge force that can resolve the most difficult problems."
After Putin's speech, the US State Department reacted with a statement entitled starkly: "Crimea is Ukraine."