One can argue which country's part the Crimea is - in other words, the reality is the same, but can be described differently. In matters like this what opinion is considered correct matters a great deal - so great it can start or stop a war. So no wonder it's important.
Russia exerts actual control over the region. If you travel to Crimea, the last border you cross will be manned by Russian soldiers. They control it in reality, no matter who it should belong to. That's what de facto means.
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[ 5.2 ms ] story [ 19.3 ms ] threadDe jure is what you're arguing.