MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered a test of combat readiness for troops in several parts of the country, including an army based around 200 miles from Ukraine's northern border, but Russia's defense minister insisted it had nothing to do with unrest there.The move comes amid growing tension between Russia and Ukraine, whose pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted by European-leaning protesters over the weekend following violence last week in which more than 80 people were killed.
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Related: Ukraine crisis: Turchynov warns of 'separatism' risk
Related: Ukraine crisis: Turchynov warns of 'separatism' risk
Ukraine's interim President Olexander Turchynov has warned of the dangers of separatism following the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych.
5 comments:
No kidding. Why do you suppose the Russians would do that?
According to Prince Bonehead, because they lost at hockey
I'm not so sure about that. Not that Teenage Jesus isn't an idiot, but about your explanation.
I've found that a good way to approach foreign policy is to ask myself "What what I do were I in the other guy's boots?"
If I were Russia in this circumstance, I'd see foreign encroachments into my sphere of influence again. I'm also pretty sure America would feel the same way.
It was a joke, Skip - Prince Bonehead's joke and yeah, it's pretty apparent what Russia is up to.
Ukrainians are not too enamored with Russia, the 60 odd years of communist rule from Moscow being enough to leave a sour taste in anyone's mouth. I'm guessing it's just muscle flexing. If Russia invades, it would be a disaster for them, but only Tsar Putin knows for sure what will happen next.
Actually, my guess is that it wouldn't be a disaster, since nobody is seriously going to propose going to war over Ukraine. And if we did, there's a better than even chance that we'd lose.
More likely than not, Putin is arranging for a Russian separatist movement that takes their territory into the Russian Federation and protects the Moscow's naval ports.
It's also important to remember that this is Putin's backyard and he has a strategic interest in stability therein.
On the other hand, it's not like Kiev nationalized a Russian fruit company, so an armored invasion would be out of line.
But if we're not going to run in and save the day for the Ukrainians - which we aren't - we shouldn't let them get the idea that we will, which just encourages then to commit suicide.
We really should have learned something from Hungary in '56.
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