(CNN) -- The seizure of Crimea has boosted the domestic popularity of Russian President Vladimir Putin to an unprecedented 82%. In the long run, however, the invasion could be the death knell of the Putin regime. Starting a war to solve a domestic problem is now a Russian tradition. The first and second Chechen wars had political motives. Both were intended to distract attention from the consequences of privatization, and the second brought Putin to power. The 2008 invasion of Georgia sharply increased the popularity of Dmitry Medvedev, who was filling in as president for Putin. The earlier acts of aggression, however, did not evoke a strong international response. This time, Russia faces full-scale war if it invades eastern Ukraine and, at the very least, sanctions if it does not withdraw from Crimea. It is ill-equipped to handle either of these challenges.
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President Vladimir Putin's domestic popularity has been boosted, writes David Satter
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Starting a war to solve a domestic problem is now a Russian tradition, he says
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Satter: Russia's businessmen depend on the West because of lawlessness in Russia
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The impending economic crisis is a potential threat to Putin's political base, he writes
Under these circumstances, Russia's businessmen do not keep capital in @placeholder and panic at the slightest threat.