[goldstategop]

Western Ukrainians don’t - in the worst case scenario I don’t see Russia going further than the Dnieper River. I think that would be the probable limit of Russian conquests and it would also give Moscow a land bridge to Transnistria. IF there is a war.

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.

[jmacusa]

I'm curious as to how it will all go down. I really wonder if the Russians have the stomach for a fight. This isn't Chechnya and these aren't Muslim thugs and second stringers. This is two modern armies with lots of lethal firepower, attack helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, artillery, tanks, the works and anything that does happen will be played out in real time on CNN, Fox, SKY News, the whole world will see this. Putin's nuts if he goes to the mat on this.

[cunning_fish]

>>>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.