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Russian soldiers patrol the area surrounding a Ukrainian military unit in Perevalnoye, Crimea, on Thursday, March 20. Russia's military activities in Crimea and its move to annex the region have been condemned by Ukraine's interim government in Kiev, the European Union and United States. The standoff has sparked an international crisis, reviving concerns of a return to Cold War relations.
Pro-Russian protesters remove the gate to the Ukrainian navy headquarters as Russian troops stand guard in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Wednesday, March 19.
" border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto003" width="640"/>Members of pro-Russian forces, or Crimean "self-defense" forces, walk inside Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19. Crimean lawmakers have said they now see Ukrainian soldiers as an occupying force and have given them a certain amount of time to leave.
A member of pro-Russian forces takes down a Ukrainian flag at Ukrainian naval headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19.
Chief of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Alexander Vitko leaves the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol after pro-Russian forces took it over on March 19.
A Russian flag waves as workers install a new sign on a local parliament building in Simferopol, Crimea's capital, on March 19.
Russian military personnel surround a Ukrainian military base in Perevalnoe, Crimea, on March 19. Ukrainian troops have been encircled by pro-Russian forces in their bases for days.
Nameplates on the front of the Crimean parliament building get removed Tuesday, March 18, in Simferopol after a controversial referendum to break away from Ukraine and join Russia.
From left, Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov; Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament; Russian President Vladimir Putin; and Alexei Chaly, the new de facto mayor of Sevastopol, join hands in Moscow on March 18 after signing a treaty to make the Black Sea peninsula part of Russia.
Demonstrators hold a Crimean flag at Lenin Square in Simferopol on March 18.
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint near Strilkove, Ukraine, close to Crimea on Monday, March 17.
Former boxer and Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko addresses reporters in Kiev on March 17.
Ukrainian troops stand guard in front of the Ukrainian Parliament building in Kiev on March 17. Ukraine's interim government insists it won't accept the annexation of Crimea by Russia, and the interim Ukrainian president announced a partial mobilization of his country's armed forces.
A Ukrainian man applies for the National Guard at a mobile recruitment center in Kiev on March 17.
Civilians walk past riot police in Simferopol on March 17.
A Ukrainian soldier stands on top of an armored vehicle at a military camp near the village of Michurino, Ukraine, on March 17.
Policemen stand guard outside the regional state administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine, during a rally by pro-Russia activists March 17.
Armed soldiers stand guard outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne, a village in Crimea, on March 17.
A man holds a Crimean flag as he stands in front of the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol on March 17.
Crimeans holding Russian flags celebrate in front of the parliament building in Simferopol on Sunday, March 16.
A Ukrainian police officer tries to shield himself from a road block thrown by pro-Russia supporters in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 16.
Pro-Russia demonstrators storm the prosecutor general's office during a rally in Donetsk on March 16.
A child casts her mother's ballot March 16 while holding a Russian flag at a polling station in Simferopol.
A pro-Russian soldier, with the Russian flag behind him, mans a machine gun outside an Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on Saturday, March 15.
A pro-Russian soldier guards the perimeter outside an Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 15.
Russian flags wave in front of a monument dedicated to Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin during a pro-Russia rally in Simferopol's Lenin Square on March 15.
Evgenyi Batyukhov cries March 14 at the site where pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists clashed the night before in Donetsk, Ukraine.
A line of policemen stand in front of a bus of pro-Ukrainian activists as pro-Russian supporters confront them during a rally in Donetsk on Thursday, March 13.
Pro-Russian supporters clash with pro-Ukrainian activists in Donetsk on March 13.
Recent Academy Award winner Jared Leto walks through Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 13. During his Oscars acceptance speech in early March, the actor spoke to protesters in Ukraine and Venezuela saying, "We're thinking of you tonight."
A member of a pro-Russian self-defense unit checks a polling station near Simferopol on March 13.
A Ukrainian soldier looks out of the window of a regional military building with a poster reading "Ukraine's armed forces wait for you!" in Donetsk on March 13.
An armed Cossack stands guard at a checkpoint on the road from Simferopol to Sevastopol on March 13.
A pro-Russian soldier speaks to a truck driver outside the Ukrainian infantry base in Perevalne on Wednesday, March 12.
Cossacks stand guard at Crimea's regional parliament building in Simferopol on March 12.
Soldiers are seen aboard the Ukrainian ship Slavutych in the harbor of Sevastopol on Tuesday, March 11.
Ukrainian naval officers board a boat in front of the Russian minesweeper Turbinist in Sevastopol's harbor on March 11.
People shout slogans during a pro-Russia rally in Donetsk on Sunday, March 9.
Ukrainian police detain a demonstrator during a pro-Russian rally in Donetsk on March 9.
Pro-Russia protesters remove a Ukrainian flag from a flagpole taken from a government building in Donetsk on March 9.
Cossacks and other pro-Russian forces stand guard outside a government building in Simferopol on Saturday, March 8.
Ukrainian soldiers load armored personnel carriers into boxcars in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 8.
Armed men believed to be Russian military march in a village outside Simferopol on Friday, March 7.
Pro-Russia protesters demonstrate outside the Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, on Thursday, March 6.
A Ukrainian navy officer looks at the scuttled, decommissioned Russian vessel Ochakov from the Black Sea shore outside the town of Myrnyi, Ukraine, on March 6. Russian naval personnel scuttled the ship, blockading access for five Ukrainian naval vessels.
A member of the Russian military patrols around Perevalne on March 6.
Servicemen guard a checkpoint at a Ukrainian navy base in Perevalne on March 6.
Ukrainian troops guard the Belbek air base on March 6.
A woman walks past barricades March 6 that were set up by anti-government protesters in Kiev's Independence Square.
A sailor guards the Ukrainian Navy ship Slavutych in the Bay of Sevastopol on Wednesday, March 5.
People wait in line for food distribution in Independence Square on March 5.
Ukrainian sailors carry meat to their vessel in the Sevastopol harbor on March 5.
Riot police stand at the entrance of a regional administrative building during a rally in Donetsk on March 5.
A Ukrainian police officer gives instructions to members of the media in front of the business class lounge of the Simferopol airport on March 5.
Pro-Russia demonstrators wave a Russian flag after storming a regional administrative building in Donetsk on March 5.
Demonstrators break a police barrier as they storm a regional administrative building in Donetsk on March 5.
Ukrainian military recruits line up to receive instructions in Kiev's Independence Square on Tuesday, March 4.
People stand on the Ukrainian Navy ship Slavutych while it's at harbor in Sevastopol on March 4. Mattresses were placed over the side of the ship to hinder any attempted assault.
Ukrainian troops watch as a Russian navy ship blocks the entrance of the Ukrainian navy base in Sevastopol on March 4.
A woman photographs pro-Russian soldiers guarding Ukraine's infantry base in Perevalne on March 4.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, wearing a blue scarf, visits a shrine March 4 for the people who were killed in February during anti-government protests in Kiev.
Yuli Mamchun, the commander of the Ukrainian military garrison at the Belbek air base near Sevastopol, salutes on March 4.
Russian soldiers stand guard at the Belbek air base on March 4.
Ukrainian military members march at the Belbek air base on March 4.
Russian soldiers fire warning shots to keep back Ukrainian military members at the Belbek air base on March 4.
A Ukrainian airman puts the Ukrainian national flag over the gate of the Belbek air base as they guard what's left under their control on March 4.
Russian soldiers aim a grenade launcher and machine gun as they guard positions at the Belbek air base on March 4.
Ukrainian seamen stand guard on the Ukrainian navy ship Slavutych in the Sevastopol harbor on Monday, March 3.
Oleg, a Ukrainian soldier, kisses his girlfriend, Svetlana, through the gates of the Belbek base entrance on March 3. Tensions are high at the base, where Ukrainian soldiers were standing guard inside the building while alleged Russian gunmen were standing guard outside the gates.
Wives of Ukrainian soldiers walk past Russian soldiers to visit their husbands guarding a military base in Perevalne on March 3.
A Russian soldier guards an area outside Ukraine's military base in the village of Perevalne on March 3.
A sailor looks out a window near the entrance to the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 3.
Armed men in military uniform walk outside a Ukrainian military unit near Simferopol on Sunday, March 2. Hundreds of armed men in trucks and armored vehicles surrounded the Ukrainian base Sunday in Crimea, blocking its soldiers from leaving.
Soldiers walk outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne as a local resident waves a Russian flag March 2.
Demonstrators shout during a rally in Kiev's Independence Square on March 2.
Ukrainian soldiers, left, and unidentified gunmen, right, stand at the gate of an infantry base in Perevalne on March 2.
Ukrainian soldiers guard a gate of an infantry base in Perevalne on March 2.
A woman cries during a rally in Independence Square on March 2.
Protesters hold flags of the United States, Germany and Italy during a rally in Independence Square on March 2.
People attend a morning prayer service at Independence Square on March 2.
A soldier and a truck driver unload bread outside the Ukranian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 2.
Heavily armed troops, displaying no identifying insignia and who were mingling with local pro-Russian militants, stand guard outside a local government building in Simferopol on March 2.
A woman waits in front of unidentified men in military fatigues who were blocking a base of the Ukrainian frontier guard unit in Balaklava, Ukraine, on Saturday, March 1.
U.S. President Barack Obama, in the Oval Office of the White House, talks on the phone March 1 with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Troops stand guard in Balaklava on March 1.
Heavily armed soldiers displaying no identifying insignia maintain watch in Simferopol on March 1.
People gather around the coffin of a man who was killed during clashes with riot police in Independence Square.
Pro-Russian activists hold Russian flags during a rally in the center of Donetsk on March 1.
Pro-Russian activists clash with Maidan supporters as they storm the regional government building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 1.
A protester stands at a memorial March 1 for the people killed in clashes at Independence Square.
Armed men patrol outside the Simferopol International Airport on Friday, February 28.
An image provided to CNN by a local resident shows Russian tanks on the move in Sevastopol.
Russian troops block a road February 28 toward the military airport in Sevastopol. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is based at the port city.
Armed men stand guard in front of a building near the Simferopol airport on February 28.
An armed man wearing no identifying insignia patrols outside Simferopol International Airport on February 28.
Police stand guard outside the Crimea regional parliament building Thursday, February 27, in Simferopol. Armed men seized the regional government administration building and parliament in Crimea.
Police intervene as Russian supporters gather in front of the parliament building in Simferopol on February 27.
A man adds fuel to a fire at a barricade in Independence Square on February 27. Dozens of people were killed during clashes between security forces and protesters.
Pro-Russia demonstrators wave Russian and Crimean flags in front of a local government building in Simferopol on February 27.
Barricades in front of a government building in Simferopol on February 27 hold a banner that reads: "Crimea Russia." There's a broad divide between those who support the pro-Western developments in Kiev and those who back Russia's continued influence in Crimea and across Ukraine.
Protesters stand in front of a government building in Simferopol on February 27. Tensions have simmered in the Crimea region since the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Protesters in support of the president's ouster rally in Independence Square, which has been the center of opposition, on Wednesday, February 26.
Security forces stand guard during clashes between opposing sides in front of Crimea's parliament building in Simferopol on February 26.
Pro-Russian demonstrators, right, clash with anti-Russian protesters in front of a government building in Simferopol on February 26.
A police officer gets pulled into a crowd of Crimean Tatars in Simferopol on February 26. The Tatars, an ethnic minority group deported during the Stalin era, rallied in support of Ukraine's interim government.
A man places flowers at a barricade near Independence Square on February 26.
On February 26 in Kiev, a woman holds a photograph of a protester killed during the height of tensions.
Police guard a government building in Donetsk on February 26.
Protesters remove a fence that surrounds Ukraine's parliament in Kiev on February 26.
People sing the Ukrainian national anthem at Independence Square on Monday, February 24.
Gas masks used by protesters sit next to a barricade in Independence Square on February 24.
A woman cries February 24 near a memorial for the people killed in Kiev.
People wave a large Ukrainian flag in Independence Square on Sunday, February 23.
Two pro-government supporters are made to pray February 23 in front of a shrine to dead anti-government protesters.
A man and his daughter lay flowers at a memorial for protesters killed in Independence Square.
Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko speaks at Independence Square on Saturday, February 22, hours after being released from prison. Tymoshenko, considered a hero of a 2004 revolution against Yanukovych, was released after 2½ years behind bars.
Tymoshenko is greeted by supporters shortly after being freed from prison in Kharkiv on February 22.
A protester guards the entrance to Yanukovych's abandoned residence outside Kiev on February 22.
Anti-government protesters guard the streets next to the presidential offices in Kiev on February 22.
Anti-government protesters drive a military vehicle in Independence Square on February 22. Many protesters said they wouldn't leave the square until Yanukovych resigned.
Ukrainian lawmakers argue during a session of Parliament on Friday, February 21.
Men in Kiev carry a casket containing the body of a protester killed in clashes with police.
Protesters cheer after news of an agreement between the opposing sides in Kiev on February 21.
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- Sen. Dan Coats argues that recent sanctions against Russia are not enough
- U.S., EU actions following the Crimea occupation won't deter Putin, he says
- We are ignoring the lessons of history, Coats says
Editor's note: Sen. Dan Coats, R-Indiana, is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and former U.S. ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany.
(CNN) -- In response to Russia's invasion and annexation of parts of Ukraine, President Obama this week announced new sanctions against 11 Russian and Ukrainian officials.
These sanctions, issued in concert with similar announcements by the European Union, are wildly disproportionate. Disproportionately small, that is.
We are ignoring the lessons of history that demonstrate how unusual and unacceptable invasion and annexation are in the post-World War II era.
Russia has unleashed a process of domination and annexation that will lead to territorial acquisition by force. Although this has been roundly condemned rhetorically by many world leaders, including our own, the paltry international response thus far indicates that this aggression is not being taken seriously enough.
We do not live in a Napoleonic age when force of arms determines boarders. The United Nations has codified the modern view of the international community -- a view that utterly rejects ancient practices of conquest by force.
Further, forceful international reaction to banditry like that of Russian President Vladimir Putin provides the opportunity to reinforce the new norm and the strength of feeling followed by the commitment to enforce it.
The sanctions announced by the Obama administration and our European allies not only fail to measure up to those new standards, but this rap on a few knuckles will surely encourage the Russian aggressors and alarm its neighbors.
There are no more than 20 instances of attempted aggression, invasion and annexation since the end of World War II. North Vietnam's conquest of South Vietnam in 1975 followed two decades of war attempting to resist it. Timor was annexed by Indonesia in 1975, leading to two decades of guerrilla war and eventual independence. The international community never recognized the annexation, and vigorous UN peacekeeping and engagement was critical to solution.
Morocco's annexation of the Western Sahara has led to almost 40 years of war and continuous international efforts at negotiation. The invasion and annexation of Kuwait in 1990 led to a massive international effort to reverse that move, involving a half million American troops. Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982 was met with full-fledged naval warfare by the forces of the United Kingdom.
Who else is vulnerable to Putin?
The deadly day that changed Kiev
Russia-Ukraine economics
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and imminent territorial annexation must be viewed in this historical context. The bogus referendum this past weekend fools no one.
The international response so far is to deny visas to a small group of Russian officials and deny them access to whatever property they have stashed abroad. This simply is not enough.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, and I introduced a resolution earlier this month outlining specific steps we believe the administration should take to sanction and isolate Russia. The full Senate unanimously supported that resolution, yet the administration has chosen to take none of these steps.
Last week I asked Secretary of State John Kerry if the State Department is considering any of the recommendations we put forward, ideas backed by all 100 United States Senators. His reply was dismissive and nonresponsive.
Sanctioning a handful of Russians most responsible for this aggression is a good first step, but too little to influence a change in the Russian position.
Much more needs to be done. There is strong bipartisan support for more forceful economic sanctions than what the administration announced on Monday. We must take more meaningful -- and more properly proportionate -- steps to respond to this outrage of aggression.
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Sen. Dan Coats.
