Here’s a new briefing paper published today (March 17, 2014) by the House of Commons Library, UK Parliament.
Ukraine, Crimea and Russia (49 pages; PDF)
From a Summary:
This paper looks at the historical and economic background to the crisis and examines claims that the actions by Crimea, which has declared independence from Ukraine, are compatible with international law.
It also considers the proposed reaction of Western countries, which include targeted sanctions against those in the Kremlin who are assessed to have been associated with the decisions regarding Crimea. It also briefly considers other countries from the former Soviet Union with ethnic Russian minorities.
The full text paper is available direct from the House of Commons Library and is also embedded below.