Crimea Is No Stranger To Conflict

From Genghis Khan To The Charge Of The Light Brigade, Crimea Is no Stranger To Conflict -- Global Post

Russia's current incursion in Crimea is just another chapter in the tiny peninsula's long history of conflict.

A vital piece of land on the Black Sea that's been claimed by some of the world's great empires, Crimea is no stranger to conflict.

The peninsula has been sacked by Huns, Greeks, Turks and Mongols. It was part of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan and later the Ottoman Empire before it was absorbed by the Russian Empire under Catherine the Great in 1783.

Perhaps its bloodiest chapter came between 1853 and 1856 during the Crimean War.

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My Comment: It is strategically located along the historical invasion routes .... so it's history has always been one of conflict and occupation.  I have been to Crimea twice in my life. As a teenager with my parents (mid 1970s) .... the second time about 10 years ago where I stayed at Yalta and Balaklava for about a month. It is an incredible beautiful place to be .... especially the view of the Black Sea. If I was to return back and live the rest of my life in eastern Europe .... it would be in Saint Petersburg during summer .... and Crimea during the winter.