But the overlooked bottom line is that this is all window dressing for both sides. Neither side gives a tinkers damn about ANY stripe of Ukrainian.
NATO and the EU wants to finally complete their expansion directly up to the actual Russian border.
And Russia insists on a buffer because of all the European invasions they have endured. They view this the way we would view Russian tanks and bases right up on out Mexican border, IF we had been catastrophically invaded by Mexico several times. (back in the days when we had one that is)
Russia intends to do anything it takes not to let Ukraine become a NATO staging ground. Making it more emotional is the Nazi element in the Kiev interim government. (Russians really really hate Nazis)
And the fact that Kiev is the epicenter of Russian history and culture.
They’ll fight for it. And Obama is just fun enough that he’ll start a war on a whim in Ukraine if the Russians roll in. He’s actually that deranged.
Its very insane.
I do not buy the propaganda line that NATO and Russia are two sides of the same coin. NATO and US are not innocents and they certainly are capable of evil deeds, but there is no comparison to the fascist dictatorship in the Kremlin. I do not buy this moral equivalence. Both sides want hegemony but one side promotes freedom and personal rights while the other side is an imperialist dictatorship.
How do you think Russia ever gained so much land to begin with? Russia's history of invading its smaller, weaker neighbors is a long one. Nations have a right to decide their own destiny without having to bow to the whims of a homicidal nation where officers rape baby-faced recruits and force them into prostitution, and all of this under the protection of the regime in Moscow.
Nazi March in Lvuv this week 'in honor' of Ukrainian Waffen SS division....The march was staged by ‘Native Land’ and ‘Student Brotherhood of Stephan Bandera’...slogans like – “SS Galician Division!” ...“People of Lvov are the strongest!”... “Glory to the nation – death to enemies!”... and “Bandera and Shukhevich are heroes of Ukraine!” went un-noted in our news
Then the Russians are idiots. They already had a "buffer" regardless of who'd be in charge in Kiev. Europe is weak militarily, Ukraine is even worse, and dirt poor. Plus, Russia has the Euros by the you-know-whats energy-wise. None of that would have changed if Putin / Russia had done nothing more than to suggest gas for Ukraine could be a problem if Ukraine did not honor the Crimea base lease agreement and not enter NATO. Ukraine would bend over backwards to cooperate: They desperately need both the money and the continued almost free gas supply from Russia that the Crimea lease / deal gave them. Ukraine as a member of the EU is a big "so what?". There certainly would be no NATO tanks on Ukraine's border with Russia. But, the way things are going now, there will be stronger NATO forces all around Western Russia. Also, might I point out that Estonia and Latvia border Russia and are already NATO members. Further, without Russian provocation, little would have been accomplished to wean Europe from Russian gas. Now, that will likely change.
On the other hand, maybe Putin is not an idiot, and Russia is, as many times in the past, taking advantage of weakness around them, to gain ground. In this case, we have a weak Europe, and particularly crucial, a weak U.S. President.
Personally, I doubt that Putin is an idiot.
Not that you said differently, but the only difference between Nazis' (National Socialist German Workers' Party) and Communists is - Nazis are driven by an Arian sociopathic cult with some private ownership and communists are driven by an atheistic sociopathic cult with no private ownership. Both are dictatorship statist regimes who murder with impunity and eventually run out of other-people's money.
Russians don't hate Nazis per se, they hate Germans. Just like the Chinese don't hate imperialism, they hate Japanese and western imperialism.