CLAIM: "Crimea was part of Russia "until 1954, when it was given to the Soviet Republic of the Ukraine." -Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.

For much of the past 300 years, Crimea was part of Russia or the Soviet Union. In 1954, Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev transferred what was then called the Crimean Oblast to Ukraine. It's often reported that it was a gesture of goodwill from Khrushchev, who had Ukrainian roots.

CLAIM: "The Russians didn't wear uniforms when they came in" to Ukraine. - MSNBC host Chris Matthews.

In a March 4 news conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied Russian troops were occupying Crimea. But foreign journalists have challenged his claims, often just by asking soldiers if they are Russian military. A Guardian Moscow correspondent tweeted the soldiers were "forced to keep up 'volunteer' charade," though one "chatty chap" said he was from Russia "to defend against 'terror' ".

CLAIM: The new Ukrainian government "introduced a law abolishing the use of languages other than Ukrainian in official circumstances." - Russia Today.

The question of why Russian troops are in Crimea is a matter of debate. While it would be easy, and even largely accurate, to see Russia's moves in the Crimean Peninsula as a power-play pure and simple, Moscow gives other reasons. All of them have to do with protecting Russian citizens or ethnic Russians in Ukraine. Russia Today, a Kremlin-financed American cable network, advanced this theory, saying that the new Ukrainian parliament tried to abolish Russia as an official language of Ukraine. Crimea - the center of the crisis currently in Ukraine - has long held a special status whereby both Russian and Ukrainian could be used in official business.

CLAIM: "The (Russian) ruble is already going down." - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

In early 2013, the ruble was worth 3.3 U.S. cents. Today, its value has tumbled by 15 percent, to 2.8 cents. A little less than half of that fall came in January as the situation in Ukraine deteriorated. The ruble's decline has deeper roots. In 2010, the Russian Central Bank announced it wanted to get out of the business of setting the ruble's value on the international market. It had in mind a gradual glide path for the currency's fall, and in October, gave the ruble leeway to drop further. With a weaker ruble Russian goods become more competitive on international markets.

CLAIM: Says she made an "accurate prediction" that if Barack Obama were elected it would encourage Russia to invade Ukraine. - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Experts did not find her words in 2008 to be a clear prediction, but they give her credit for highlighting a place where a crisis has emerged. They did not agree with the logic behind her claim and said there's more to the story - namely a history of America avoiding confrontation with Russia in its direct spheres of influence.

CLAIM: Says Vladimir Putin once said, "The breakup of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century." - Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton.

Most references to this line have suggested that Putin was bemoaning the loss of the communist economic and political system. Putin has since frequently underscored he was talking about the collapse of the Russian state itself. Putin is not eager to re-establish the USSR, partly because it would be costly for Russia. He does, however, want to make sure surrounding countries are not used against Russia.

Chip Tuthill lives in Mancos. Website used: www.politifact.com