But although we can argue about whether past conquest always equals present possession, these aren’t the issues at stake. As the Russian media and its representatives in British television studios will not tell you, Russia’s legitimate right to its naval base in Sevastopol is not under threat, and never has been. The Russian navy’s access to the base has been recognised in carefully negotiated international treaties, none of which has been seriously challenged during more than two decades of Ukrainian independence. Russian sailors and officers have lived on the peninsula too. Never before have they broken the treaty rules or moved forces around the peninsula without notifying the Ukrainian government, as they are legally bound to do.