“To see if his confessions” This is your problem. He is bragging, he is not ashamed of it. In using confession, you put a connotation as he pleaded guilty. No, he is trying to convince a domestic audience that he is in control and ahead of the game. Pure and simple propaganda and you bite/welcome it, because for your own propaganda, you need Putin to be evil, as simple as this. As prove (or demonstrated) by “Well, I can't believe what I'm doing - trying to persuade others to watch a piece of Russian propaganda!”. Propaganda, not piece of evidence.

“Putin was quite explicit in his claim of starting "the Crimean homecoming" on the said date.” I am sure he is, as Kosovo was a fight for democracy and Iraqis will welcome the US, and democracy will bloom in Libya… When you are in a process, better to pretend you control it than to look incompetent.

“In all other aspects the divided characters of the two countries in question have nothing in common.” Well, future will tell.