The suffering of Ukrainians under Stalin does not have anything to do with Crimea, because it was only put under Ukraine's administrative jurisdiction in 1954, after Stalin's death in 1953. The deportations of Tatars is also a stretch since they were Soviet citizens back then, first and foremost. And you know which ethnic group suffered the most under Stalin? Right, the Russians. Therefore, yours is a non-argument. Elvin's point was about Ukraine's "misbehaving" when it came to foreign policy and trade with Russia before the coup in 2014. Since 1991, Kiev long enjoyed huge energy discounts and preferential treatment in trade with Russia. The tacit agreement was that it would reciprocate via foreign policy cooperation with Moscow, and most importantly, let Russia continue to use its Black Sea fleet base in Crimea. After the coup, it became clear that Kiev won't stick to these agreements, so Moscow made sure its interests were protected. Ukraine brought it upon itself, in other words.