Posted on 03/01/2014 1:01:41 PM PST by Jim Robinson
When Moscow tells us that their massive military maneuvers in Western Russia have nothing to do with whats happening in Kiev its like the old Marx Brothers routine: Who are you going to believe, me (Moscow) or your own eyes?
Puh-leez.
In fact, while not a major military incursion by Moscow, the ongoing power plays in Crimea manifested in the presence of yet-unidentified, armed Russia-loyalists at two airports could be an ominous harbinger of things to come.
First, Moscow is signaling strength to Kiev, reminding their western neighbor that Mother Russia is a force to be reckoned with. You Ukrainians may be able to change your governmentagainst Russian wishesbut you cant change your geography.
Location, location, location doesnt just apply to real estate, it matters in geopolitics, too.
Russia is also flexing its muscles at the Europeans and the United States. Moscow is cautioning the West that the East wont brook any foolish attempts to bring Ukraine into a European or American sphere of influence.
Remember that the ongoing crisis was precipitated last November when Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich scuttled a trade pact with the European Union in exchange for a competing economic package from Russia, leading to months of street protests.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also wants to make it crystal clear that Russia considers any thought of trying to bring Ukraine into NATO a complete non-starter. Indeed, its a move Moscow might even go to war over.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
What’s really going on is putin wants to put the old soviet union back together.
It sure looks that way
More like the Russian Empire.
>>>Russia is simply to going to avoid Western Ukraine because it would not be welcome there and the costs of occupying it are simply too high to be worth the risk. The West can have it if it wants.
Not to mention the West of Ukraine is ox and a cart and Kiev only survives redistributing wealth created by docile hardworking easterners to politically active western freeloaders.
Yes it does. There is a major tank repair/rebuild facility just to the east of Kiev
That's my question too. One half of me asks: Where did they get all those riot police shields? I don't think one can order hundreds of those off the internet. And the other half says: Why didn't they just arm them with weapons instead?
“..bottom line - obozo is a bottom twink and putin knows it...”
But let’s do a little comparison since they’re both tyrannical dictators:
obamie: community organizer (chicago thug & trouble maker)
Putin: Former KGB agent
obamie: hates the country he’s king over - destroying it.
Putin: Proud Russian that loves his country.
obamie: a fake milk-toast gay liberal pansy man.
Putin: a strong man’s man.
obamie: loves muslims and their slime, hates Christians.
Putin: hates muslims and their slime, supports his church.
I wonder if Putin will support the secession and independence of the sovereign state of Texas when the time comes?
Remember, there’s much more flexibility in O’s second term.
What I've not seen most people factor in, is the true position of the EU.
Our purported best friends and allies.
The EU is an elitist, socialist, NGO constructed to battle economically against the USA, while maintaining NATO military defense relations, primarily paid for and manned by the USA.
I'm just a cynical old Cold War veteran, who has loosely followed the political and financial antics of the insane EU construct for several decades.
Most people don't acknowledge that the actual citizens of the EU aligned countries have never affirmatively voted themselves in or out of it.
It just grew like a virulent cancer out of corrupt political financial deals to the point that the current elected leaders of the UK and other nation state members now absolutely refuse to bring the whole thing to any popular vote, before their own reelections are cemented.
I find it odd to think that the majority population of the Ukraine would want to voluntarily join into what a sizable population of current member nations of the EU want to exit.
I wonder if Germany would be so open to conciliatory talks with Russia, if 100% of the proposed USA DOD cuts came from closing USA NATO Army bases there.And if people in the western Ukraine would be so very eager to join the EU, if they knew the history, and probable outcome of that decision
Oh well...just my own private musings on current events.
Yep, the Poles have been itchin’ for a fight since 1945, and they won’t let the Russians anywhere near Western Ukraine without a fight.
Fortunately, I do not believe Putin would be so stupid. He has a case for Crimea, and perhaps even the Donetsk Region, he will get a pass on that....But if he threatens Kiev, or Lviv, then it’s a whole new ballgame.
Putin would laugh his ass off. Sanctions? Have western Europe will freeze their asses off when they stop buying Russian natgas due to sanctions?
Putin’s got them (and us) by the short hairs on this one. Geopolitically we’re weak in Ukraine and the rest of the Russian neighborhood. Recent incompetence by our glorious leadership on just about everything certainly doesn’t make Russians really worried.
Precisely.
Yeah man. Good God, if this goes full out you’re looking at any major city in Ukraine or Western Russia looking like Stalingrad in ‘42 in about two days. One thing the Russkies do is pile on the artillery.
“I see a bad moon a’rising, looks like troubles on the way...” Gonna be big market shifts, right before the war gets everyone small involved. Heck of a deal.
So we've got problems.
Very true. The election of leftist governments has given the Russians an open door to Latin America.
Cuba and VZ are its main landing points, but it’s also getting into Ecuador and Bolivia (relatively new to the leftist fold) and I read that Brazil is also fair game.
Our inaction there, even when these leftist governments have seriously damaged US and European interests, has made it clear to Russia that there’s nothing to fear from us. And, of course, Russia’s friend Iran is already there, particularly in VZ.
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