[zeestephen]

I would have agreed with the author on Saturday.

As some of you know, I've been a consistent dove on Crimea, and I have openly doubted that Putin has serious expansionist dreams.

But today, violent “pro-Russian” mobs seized government buildings in eastern Ukraine.

No way to know if these are local groups acting independently, or if this is a well planned provocation to send Russian troops into Ukraine.

Short of a USA-Russia war, I really don't see how we stop a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[AdmSmith]

Financially:
push down the oil prize to below 80/bbl by allowing export of oil and gas, http://www.marketwatch.com/story/opponents-of-natural-gas-exports-have-it-all-wrong-2014-04-04 and http://dailycaller.com/2014/04/04/report-exporting-u-s-crude-oil-could-lower-gas-prices/ build Keystone XL pipeline,http://nypost.com/2014/03/29/the-keystone-pipeline-is-obamas-best-revenge-on-putin/

=> no more money in Soviet for military adventures.

Speed up the case against Gazprom http://www.rferl.org/content/eu-gazprom-antitrust-showdown/25260390.html and against Gunvor (the company owned by Putin) http://www.institutionalinvestor.com/Article/3327010/Banking-and-Capital-Markets-Banking/Obamas-Warning-Shot-Sanctions-Against-Putin-Connected-Bank.html

=> less money to Putin