Russia's Putin, in home straight of election campaign, visits Crimea

By Polina Nikolskaya and Darya Korsunskaya THE KERCH STRAIT/SEVASTOPOL, Crimea (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Crimea on Wednesday, touting his annexation of the peninsula to voters days before an election all but guaranteed to deliver him a second consecutive term in power. Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine drew international condemnation and sanctions, but many Russians saw it as restoring Moscow's rule over a region they regard as being historically Russian. Appearing in front of a crowd of cheering supporters in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, Putin said that, four years ago, the people of Crimea took the historic decision to become part of Russia.