Insight - In Russia, battle for university places deflates Crimea euphoria

People walk outside the main building of Moscow State University in Moscow February 10, 2015. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Alexandra Kartokhina always dreamed of studying in a big city. She even went to a Russian school in her native Crimea to help her achieve her ambition of studying in St Petersburg.

But now that dream has been tainted. After winning a place at a university in Russia's second city on an equal footing with other students, she has to deal with "the eternal squabbles" over accusations that Crimeans are stealing "Russian" places.