“This is a clearcut case of Putin’s Russian regime recruiting a millitant minority of fifth columnists or agents to foment violence and to overthrow the government majority of the population in Donetsk.”
To a point, I disagree. Yes, Putin is taking advantage of already existing animosities. Really, he would be stupid not to. he is a student of Machiavelli, after all.
But, this was predicted to happen 2 months ago, and the only people who seem surprised by it are the Ukrainians. That the new government cannot seem to project much influence outside of Kiev says a lot, as well.
Remember, this a country near anarchy, on the verge of a civil war, that has been a corruption haven on the brink of economic collapse for quite a while.
Losing the Donetsk region, the most industrialized part of Ukraine, would be a body blow to the new government.
“To a point, I disagree. Yes, Putin is taking advantage of already existing animosities. Really, he would be stupid not to. he is a student of Machiavelli, after all.”
That is false propaganda, insofar as it falsely attempts to shift the responsibility for the events to the Ukrainians while entirely denying the fact Putin’s Russian regime engineered the incidents and the animosities engendered by those incidents.
“But, this was predicted to happen 2 months ago,”
Yes, it is very easy for Putin’s Russian regime to predict these events when it was themselves who instigated and sustained the conflicts.
“and the only people who seem surprised by it are the Ukrainians.”
That is more false propaganda, because it is no surprise whatsoever to the Ukrainians, with the exception of Putin’s Ukranian puppet leaders who were double-crossed, have largely served their purpose for the Russians, and can now be liquidated when convenient or earlier.
“That the new government cannot seem to project much influence outside of Kiev says a lot, as well.”
Putin’s Russian regime is responsible for the Ukraine’s inability to make a forceful response for a number of good reasons. Foremost is the way in which Putin helped to put Yanukovych into power and keep him there long enough to appoint Ministers who were also part of the Donbas organized crime group operating under Putin’s discipline. When the popular revolt displaced his puppets from control of the Ukrainian government, Putin resorted to the faster and more direct expedient of using and threatening direct insurrections and military force.
“Remember, this a country near anarchy, on the verge of a civil war, that has been a corruption haven on the brink of economic collapse for quite a while.”
All of which was organized by Putin’s Russian regime for many years. When the Ukrainian people finally had enough corruption in their government and used their oversight to stop the corruption, Putin resorted to the direct alternative of using military force to do what covert political means had failed to accomplish.
“Losing the Donetsk region, the most industrialized part of Ukraine, would be a body blow to the new government.”
Which is why it was a key target of Putin’s Russian regime, despite the fact Ukrainians and non-Russians represent a large majority of the population of the Donetsk Oblast.