( CNN ) -- This week , NATO suspended all civilian and military cooperation with Russia . NATO 's top general said that 40,000 Russian troops are in a high state of readiness and could strike Ukraine within a few days . The world is watching . Will Vladimir Putin take territory from Ukraine , again ? Before Putin annexed Crimea on March 18 , not too many observers thought that he was seriously going to grab a piece of Ukraine . Maybe it 's just another political game for him -- all talks and nothing more . After all , Russia is legally bound by the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 , an agreement signed originally by the Russia Federation , the United States and Britain . This document is an important part of the world 's nuclear non-proliferation pact . It secures sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in exchange for its non-nuclear status . At the time of the agreement , Ukraine had the world 's third largest stockpile of nuclear weapons . That 's why when Russian nationalists began saying Crimea should be a part of Russia , few imagined that would become true . Putin can be iron-fisted and harsh , but he has shown respect for international treaties . During his press conference on March 4 , when Putin was asked if Russia was considering annexing Crimea , he said no . Then something changed . When the referendum was pushed forward to March 16 , it was amended to include the option of Crimea becoming a part of Russia . What happened ? Is Putin just out of touch with reality , as German leader Angela Merkel once said ? This would be an easy explanation for Russia 's takeover of Crimea . But I suspect that Putin wants to create a new reality , one in which a breakup with the West is no longer viewed as a potential drawback , but rather , a smart and savvy move . In Putin 's new world order , existing institutions do not matter anymore : Neither the G8 nor the U.N. Security Council . What are they going to do ? Suspending Russia from G8 membership is n't going to scare Putin . The United States , Britain and Canada are upset that Russia has breached the Budapest Memorandum , but so what ? Putin 's approval rating has increased , his political oppositions are split , and many Russians support the return of Crimea . Russia has more territory now , and there 's been no significant side effect . Moreover , Putin wants more control over the Russian elite and their money . Back in 2003 , the wealthiest of the Russian oligarchs , Mikhail Khodorkovsky , was suddenly arrested and served over 10 years in prison -- mostly because he was aggressively sponsoring different opposition parties and planning to run for president . Putin , who himself became president of Russia partly because of heavy contributions from oligarchs in his first presidential campaign , knows that the only thing that can defeat him is huge money . So he spent the last decade turning himself into a very rich man and making sure that he owns more resources than any potential competitor . Being an oligarch in Russia is great -- as long as you do n't get involved with politics . The regulations are strict and the transactions are traceable . The oligarchs know the rules : When they want to have access to their money in Russia , they get out of Putin 's way . Certainly , after 2003 , no one really dared to try to compete with him . They can just look at Khodorkovsky as an example . What worries Putin is money from abroad that would leak through the borders easily . That money is harder to keep track of . Putin has long insisted that the country 's new elite should bring money back to Russia . But the Russian oligarchs have been spending their money outside of Russia -- by sending their children to Western schools , buying up homes in Manhattan , or going on shopping sprees in neighboring European countries . The capital flight from Russia has steadily increased in the past years , reaching over $ 60 billion in 2013 . Now , every Russian oligarch has to decide either to leave the country and lose access to its endless resources , or bring all the money back . Crimea gave Putin exactly what he desired -- an opportunity to build a financial iron curtain between Russia and the West . And now that some of the elite are being sanctioned by the West , they 're finally forced to turn their attention -- and pocketbooks -- to Russia . Acquiring Crimea and breaking up with the West is a win-win situation for Putin . Putin can also take a page from other bad guys who did n't obey existing rules . Maybe their successful experiences have taught Vladimir Putin that it 's OK to play an enfant terrible of the world 's politics . Just look at Fidel Castro , Kim Jong Un and even Bashar al-Assad -- they are all doing quite well , are n't they ? Putin is playing by his own rules . What could the modern world do against a dictator with nuclear weapons and vast approval within his own country ? Not much . And about the economic sanctions : How often are they truly successful ? Only Putin knows whether he 's going to take more pieces of Ukraine . The answer , `` No , because Putin said he would never go beyond Crimea , '' is incorrect . `` Maybe yes , maybe no '' is much closer to the reality . That 's bad news for the world .
NATO general says Russian forces are ready and could strike Ukraine in days . Leonid Volkov : For President Putin , the Crimea is a win - win situation . He says Putin wants to put a financial iron curtain between Russia and the West . Volkov : Putin is playing by his own rules , the Russians ' n't really do much to stop him .