[goldstategop]

President Putin's speech gives a good account of the events in Crimea and why Russia see themselves and their history of their country reflected in it.

[brooklyn dave]

I hate to say it, because I have many Ukrainian friends—originating from Lviv near the Polish border—but Ukraine and Belarus might be better under some kind of autonomy connected with Russia—the EU is not going to do them any good —and the same for NATO