(The link to the FT doesn't work, because it's old)
PING -- thought you'd be interested.
I saw this earlier tonight while browsing google.
Thanks for posting.
he'd better watch his backside - they'll give him the 9mm retirement plan over there.
The presence of Russian troops on the ground is a pretty clear indicator of who it is that is trying to steal the election.
If Yushchenko was the one stuffing the ballot boxes, Kuchma should be able to call up Uk troops and police to suppress the rebellion.
The fact that he is mobilizing Russian troops rather than his own suggests that he can't be sure his own forces would remain loyal, or even neutral. That suggests that real support in Ukraine is with Yushchenko.
Elections are always about choosing between flawed alternatives. When Putin is the lesser of evils, I am happy to support Putin. I have frequently and readily supported him in some arguments, but this is not one of those. Russian troops have no good reason to be in Ukraine. They are there to protect Kuchma and Yanukovich from the Ukrainians because Ukrainian troops won't.
Bump