Putin Admits Crimea Had Soldiers

Shocking nobody, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted for the first time Thursday that the troops in unmarked uniforms in Crimea before its annexation were Russian soldiers. The troops, dubbed “little green men,” prepared the peninsula for its annexation by Moscow in March. He initially claimed they were part of the local self-defense forces. Now, Putin admits, they were Russians who stood behind the back of Crimea's self-defense forces,” and that “they acted politely, but resolutely and professionally." He also claimed the annexation was in response to NATO attempting to make Ukraine a member and curb Russian authority in the Black Sea region.