Ukraine on the verge of civil war!

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Remember the Fulda Gap!

I have been watching this with interest - reminds me so much of the Prague Spring; if it hadn't been for this reason, there would have been another reason for Russki boots on the ground.

Putin's not much different from his Comintern predecessors, just more fiscally corrupt.

This could get ugly very quickly

At least i am to old and will not be sitting in a tank looking down into the fulda gap this time

Originally Posted by Uncle Peter

Text-book operation up to now... well it would have been in the 1950s or 1960s anyway. If Putin wants to annexe Crimea then he should be careful what he wishes for as should the ethnic Russian Ukrainians on team Ruskii. This is potentially anoter proverbial crap sandwich of similar magnitude to Chechnya and he's not going to be able to get away with the type of cultural vandalism and oppression meted out by Stalin to assert authority and weed out any potential opposition.

Putin needs to concentrate on watching his own back at home rather than what's happening beyond his borders.

You wonder what his thinking is. There is little benefit to annexing Crimea, other than some emotional appeal and grandstanding, and a litany of drawbacks. At the very least they're creating an unstable situation on their border and they're also finishing off any prospect they had of convincing Ukrainians to look to the East. They'll alienate other prospective allies in the region as well all of whom may be looking over their shoulders. The result of aggression towards Georgia was seeing them increasing their relationships with the West not the East.

This is likely like a calculated move and more like a madman randomly lashing out...

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Damien

You wonder what his thinking is. There is little benefit to annexing Crimea, other than some emotional appeal and grandstanding, and a litany of drawbacks. At the very least they're creating an unstable situation on their border and they're also finishing off any prospect they had of convincing Ukrainians to look to the East. They'll alienate other prospective allies in the region as well all of whom may be looking over their shoulders. The result of aggression towards Georgia was seeing them increasing their relationships with the West not the East.

This is likely like a calculated move and more like a madman randomly lashing out...

Substitute Scotland for Crimea and it's all a bit Salmond like don't you think?

Originally Posted by Osem

Substitute Scotland for Crimea and it's all a bit Salmond like don't you think?

Oh come on Osem that is a really unfair comparison. :rem:

One of them is a megalomaniacal populist with a penchant for dishonesty and a contempt for democracy whilst Putin is just the Russian President.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26388057

Crimea though is another matter. For a start the Russian military does not need to invade - it is already there, leasing facilities from the Ukrainian authorities.
The bulk of Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based in Crimea with its headquarters in Sevastopol.
Russian naval personnel come and go in Sevastopol as if it were a Russian city. The navy dominates the town.
While largely made up of naval personnel, the Black Sea Fleet also has a contingent of marines and there have been a series of reports suggesting that Russian forces in and around Sevastopol have been bolstered in recent days.

I think it's the Black Sea bases that are primarily the reason for these 'gunmen'. Russia is just taking care of it's own business.

[Osem]

President Putin asks Russian parliament's upper house to approve use of Russian troops in Ukraine

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26400035

[Uncle Peter]

Originally Posted by Osem

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26400035

They'll probably have to fly Emirates though. I'm surprised they managed to find more than a couple of airworthy IL76's!

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Uncle Peter

They'll probably have to fly Emirates though. I'm surprised they managed to find more than a couple of airworthy IL76's!

Well they could always use Ryanair which runs a very cheap and convenient service into Crimea I understand. The airport's very conveniently situated too, just on the outskirts of Sofia...

They've approved the use of armed forces. At least Russia has given up the pretence

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Damien

They've approved the use of armed forces. At least Russia has given up the pretence

Now it gets ugly, be ready for an armed escalation. There are to many armed men in close proximity and one itchy trigger finger could start a full blown battle.

A war would serious harm Russia's economy. Has Putin finally snapped?

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Damien

A war would serious harm Russia's economy. Has Putin finally snapped?

I honestly think he has been waiting for something like this. i do not think he will stay in the Crimea

[thenry]

ffs!

[Osem]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

I just hope that the warmongers in this country have learnt from the Syria debacle. If it's a Russian backed regime keep clear.

Not to mention those who predicted we'd be in and out of Afghanistan without a single shot being fired...

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Osem

Not to mention those who predicted we'd be in and out of Afghanistan without a single shot being fired...

Who predicted that?

We went into Afghanistan with the sole intention of removing the Taliban from power. There were always going to be shots fired, I don't recall anyone proposing any different.