CRIMEA GENOANA EST!

This is the jocular battle cry of a group of online Italian satirists, adopting Putin's justification for taking the Crimea in asserting Genoa's prior claim & right to the peninsula (and in appropriately archaic dialect): Ristabiliam li vecchi cumfini: Lo volgo crimeano non si sente russo ma ianuano! (Let us re-establish our ancient borders: The Crimean people do not consider themselves Russian but Genoese!).

Many are not aware that the coast of the peninsula was nothing more than a string of Genoese colonies which thrived for 300+ years from the mid-1200's to the late 1500's/early 1600's, when the Ottoman Empire began expanding into the area. So Genoa's claim is just as plausible as Putin's.

While I'm at it, I might as well point out that only one other world leader had a penchant for appearing shirtless---

And he didn't end up well---