The Sochi Olympics have barely ended, and Russian president Vladimir Putin has already dropped his nice-guy mask. Before the Olympics, he tried to put on a good face before the world by freeing notable political prisoners, such as members of the punk band Pussy Riot and Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Unfortunately, the Olympics are over, which means a return to Putin’s former ironfisted policies. Just one day after the closing ceremonies, Putin had over 200 activists arrested for protesting against him. As awful as that alone is, Putin was just getting started.

News broke that armed men invaded Crimea Thursday, raising the Russian flag, escalating tensions in Ukraine.

Armed men seized the regional government headquarters and parliament in Ukraine’s Crimea on Thursday and raised the Russian flag, alarming Kiev’s new rulers, who urged Moscow not to abuse its navy base rights on the peninsula by moving troops around.

“I am appealing to the military leadership of the Russian Black Sea fleet,” said Olexander Turchinov, acting president since the removal of Viktor Yanukovich last week. “Any military movements, the more so if they are with weapons, beyond the boundaries of this territory (the base) will be seen by us as military aggression

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Russia’s acting envoy in Kiev for immediate consultations.

The Russian flag continues to fly:

Meanwhile, Putin continues to raise concerns. A Russian warship has been spotted docked in Havana, potentially a sign that Putin is rekindling the USSR alliance with Cuba. Cuban authorities have remained silent on the matter. And Ukraine’s ousted president, Viktor Yanukovych, is reportedly being sheltered in Moscow. After Ukraine’s government warned Putin not to move his military forces out of their base in Crimea, Russia’s fighter jets were scrambled to patrol the border, and military exercises were launched with 150,000 troops. The loss of Putin’s puppet in a position of power in Ukraine has clearly spurred him into action.

There has been speculation that Putin has been seeking to return Russia to the USSR. Ukraine’s new government has declared that they want to ally with the European Union, and not Russia, which certainly would put a dent in those plans if Ukraine is successful. Putin’s next move could potentially have international repercussions, and spell trouble for Ukraine’s new leadership. Ukraine would be crushed in Russia chooses to move against them, and Putin knows it. He also knows that the world superpowers — namely, the United States and Obama — will not lift a finger to defend Ukraine. The EU also will not defend Ukraine. While Russia could be crippled through economic sanctions, the likelihood of anything happening beyond a stern (yet empty) warning seems small.