To a certain extent, yes. If Crimeans are concerned about Ukraine's economic stability and choose, in the absence of force, to break away and join Russia, that would be fine. However, Putin is taking advantage of the country's instability to expand his territory -- (1) allegedly introducing "protestors" clamoring for Russia's help, (2) exaggerating the need for a Russian peace-keeping force there (most unrest is not in Crimea but in Kiev), etc... A more reasonable Russian response would be the use of diplomatic envoys to Kiev, with involvement from other nations. Instead, within days of the Olympics being completed, he sent in troops to occupy key locations across the entire Crimean peninsula... There is virtually nothing the West can do about this, except sit back and watch the partitioning of Ukraine. If Russia only confiscates Crimea and maybe 1 other majority Russian eastern province, perhaps the outcome is loosely tolerable. History, however, shows that dictators like Putin, rarely curb their appetite for territorial expansion after successful acquisitions...