I'm speaking as an outsider, but I think Putin is the worst thing that ever happened to Russia. He is trying to bring back the old Russia by trying to bring former Soviet republics back into Russia's sphere. Ukraine is a classic example of this. They're justification for the invasion of Crimea (and it was an invasion) is that they need to look after their Russian interests. Crimea is just one microscopic part of Russia. So, I hardly think that Crimea would bear any kind of significance to the vitality of the country.