There is no ' issue' Crimeans voted, almost unanimously, to return to Russian authority- from whence it came.
The referendum results are highly suspect and not internationally recognized by most nations.
The official result from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was a 97 percent vote for integration of the region into the Russian Federation with an 83 percent voter turnout, and within the local government of Sevastopol there was also a 97 percent vote for integration of the region into the Russian Federation with an 89 percent voter turnout.
The March 16 referendum's available choices did not include keeping the status quo of Crimea and Sevastopol as they were at the moment the referendum was held.
Before, during and after the plebiscite was proclaimed, the Crimean peninsula was host to Russian soldiers who managed to oversee public buildings and Ukrainian military installations.

Using the "referendum" as justification for illegally taking the Crimea is a joke. Voting with Russian troops supervising and both options resulting in separation from the Ukraine is a real example of a stolen election.
