Contents Special Section: Russia`s Annexation of Crimea III Gergana Dimova and Andreas Umland: Introduction. Perspectives on Russia's 2014 Annexation of Crimea: Empirical and Theoretical Explorations Greta Lynn Uehling: The Personal Stakes of Political Crisis: The 2014 Attempted Annexation of Crimea Kerstin S. Jobst: "Dark" and "Golden" Times: The Crimean Tatar Population under Tsarist and Soviet Rule (1783-1941) Jan Zofka: Agents of Separatism: Social Background to the Pro-Russian Movements in Crimea and the Moldovan Dniester Valley in Comparison (1989-95) A Debate on Prospect Theory and Explaining Russia's Annexation of Crimea Ion Marandici: Loss Aversion, Neo-Imperial Frames, and Territorial Expansion: Using Prospect Theory to Examine the Annexation of Crimea Discussion Featuring contributions by Peter Rutland, Tor Bukkvoll, Mykola Kapitonenko, Rumena Filipova, Martin Malek, Ion Marandici Articles Chris Monday: Mikhail Putin (1894-1969) and Socialist Competition: Exploring a Neglected Branch of the Putin Family Tree Reviews: Inna Chuvychkina on Elizabeth Buchanan; Brendan M. McElmeel on Juliane Fürst; Olga Khabibulina on Hubertus Jahn; Elise Westin on Natalia Knoblock; Manne Wängborg on Andrei Kozyrev; Giulia Prelz Oltramonti on Anna Matveeva; Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon on David Rainbow; John (Ivan) Jaworsky on Josephine von Zitzewitz; Yana Ostapenko on Jessica Zychowicz; Dima Kortukov on Vladislav M. Zubok