Good dig, Anon. I vacationed in Crimea several times in the years before 2014. It was clear that most Crimeans were very pro-Russia. I don't see how the West could not have known. One Victory Day in Sevastopol, I watched a parade with long lines of Russian military vehicles and Russian sailors from the Russian naval base. There were huge crowds of locals cheering them and waving Russian flags. Near the waterfront was located a Russian naval museum and a statue of Catherine the Great. Locals were upset by things Kiev did to them such as requiring that only the Ukrainian language be used in cinemas when nearly everyone spoke Russian. One taxi driver had a sign in his taxi: only Russian spoken. I'm sure he wasn't alone.