Why Crimea the centre of crisis?

CRIMEA, the territory, about the size of Belgium, is an autonomous region within Ukraine. The Crimean Peninsula is suspended from the south coast of Ukraine by the thin chain of the Perekop Isthmus, embraced by the Black Sea, on the same latitude as the south of France.
The climate being subtropical, it was a jewel of the Russian Empire, the retreat of Romanov tsars, and the playground of Politburo leaders. Currently known as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, it has its own parliament and capital, Simferopol, but takes its orders from the government of Ukraine since 1991.
Physically, politically, Crimea is Ukraine; mentally and emotionally, it identifies with Russia and provides, a journalist wrote, "a unique opportunity for Ukrainians to feel like strangers on their own territory."
Out of about 2 .3 million people of Crimea, 58% are ethnic Russian, 24% Ukrainian and 12% Crimean Tartar. It is reported that many of its inhabitants, regardless of ethnicity, are actually Russian citizens or dual-passport holders because of the predominance of ethnic Russian population.
Crimea has gone through many foreign hands.  Finally on October 18, 1921, the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic which, in turn, became part of the Soviet Union.
Russian Black Sea Fleet is located in Crimea. The Sevastopol port has been crucial for Russia's navy over the years, providing quick access to the eastern Mediterranean, Balkans and Middle East.  During the Soviet era, in 1954, it was gifted to Ukraine, one of the soviet republics, by Nikita Khrushchev.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Russia's Black Sea Fleet fell into Ukraine and it has been an awkward situation for Russia to have its fleet in another country. However Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement for lease of the Russian naval base and the lease remains until 2042.
The pro-Moscow President's political position in Ukraine became weak after he refused to sign a free trade deal with the EU and on February 21, he signed an agreement with the opposition leaders in the presence of French, Polish and German Foreign Ministers. The agreement set out plans to hold early presidential elections in May, form a national unity government and revert to the 2004 constitution, removing some of the president's powers.
However on the next day, the Ukrainian parliament led by nationalists voted to dismiss President Viktor Yanukovych from office. The leaders of the ousted government, especially those Russian speaking from Ukraine's east and south, said they would oppose new measures.
Many analysts say the way the President was deposed was unwarranted after the 21st February agreement. Furthermore the nationalists also made another mistake when one of the first actions of the parliament was to abolish a law which provided legal status for Russian and other minority languages, raising apprehensions among Russian speakers about their personal security and threat to their language.
Russia sees totally wrong EU's support for the Ukrainian nationalists to form the new government ignoring the February 21 peace deal with the ousted President.  
When the Ukrainian nationalists dismissed the President on February 22, next day thousands of people rallied in the southern port city of Sevastopol and called for "Mother Russia" to save them. Waving the Russian flag and chanting "Russia! Russia!", protesters in Crimea have become the last major bastion of resistance to Ukraine's new rulers.
Russian supporters waving Russian flags welcomed the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship, 'Moskva' missile cruiser, entering Sevastopol bay.  Crimea has now come under de facto control of Russia.
It may be recalled that in recent years, Russia could not take lightly the gradual intrusion into its sphere of influence when NATO has expanded its membership to former soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and the European Union embraced eastern European countries such as Poland and Romania
Russian Foreign Minister and US Secretary of State met in Paris on March 5 to resolve the Ukrainian crisis but failed.
Meanwhile, on March 6, the Crimean MPs sought to join the Russian Federation and the leaders of both houses of parliament in Russia said on March 7 that they would support a vote by Crimea to become a new region of Russia.  
Ukraine's interim prime minister warned the Crimean parliament "no-one in the civilised world" will recognise its referendum on joining Russia. The US and EU stated that the Crimean secession would be against the Ukrainian constitution and international law. Some see their position as double-standard because EU and the US have recognized Kosovo, a part of Serbia, as a state.
President Obama's an hour-long talk on phone on March 7 with President Putin did not bridge the differences on the Ukrainian crisis.
This situation is the most serious east-west confrontation since the end of the Cold War in 1991. Some analysts believe that the Cold War is back in a new shape and a new form between Russia and the West and it does not augur well for global peace and security.

The writer is former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.