The Russian Invasion of the Crimea: Does Russia Plan to Occupy the Crimea?: Putin and his inner circle aim to convert the Crimea into a safe haven, where they may hide their wealth and find a refuge when they retire or if they lose their position in Russi

Putin and his inner circle aim to take Crimea out of Ukraine, and convert the Crimea into an independent state that will be their ‘safe haven’, where they may store their wealth, and to which they may emigrate when they retire or if their presence in Russia became insecure. Members of Putin's inner circle had bad experiences with their savings in offshore banks, especially in Cyprus. They do not feel comfortable with emigration to England, USA, France or Israel, where they would be required to live with an unfamiliar language and cultural environment, and to obey local laws that are unfamiliar for them. For this reason, it is important for Putin's inner circle to create a suitable safe haven state, since they cannot find a better one on the world map. An independent Crimea could meet all of the needs of Putin's inner circle. Also If the Crimea becomes independent state, the Russia can easily maintain the indefinite presence of the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea and lift of restrictions on its actions there.