Well, I guess the Ukrainians are just lucky that Putin’s going to save them from being as prosperous as the EU nations. You know, you wouldn’t want them to catch up with say, Poland, or the Czech Republic. It’s better to stay benighted and governed by Putin’s proxies. That’s really the best way to go.
Russia may leave the Western Ukrainians a rump state. If he moves to annex the rest of Ukraine as he digested Crimea as a appetizer, every one knows to fear Russia.
You don’t come for the Russian Bear; the Russian Bear comes for you - whatcha gonna do? Russia comes for you? It sounds like a parody of the signature “Sheriff Brown” song that opens the “Cops” show. But for the Ukrainians, its no laughing matter.
The governments of Russia, Europe and the EU are anti-small business and quite corrupt. Just like the United States, just more so.
This is why the EU is in just as bad financial shape as the US, if not worse.
The rich skate on taxes and make sure that laws and regulations keep small businesses in a choke hold.
The average citizen in the EU can, in theory, start a small business, but they’re truthfully trapped in an environment with high legal risk and liability, corruption and high taxes. This keeps the little people, a.k.a. the sheeple, working and paying their whole life, while only a very few ever amass any significant wealth.
Most of the smaller EU newcomer nations are economic basket cases.
The Ukrainian economy is controlled by its oligarchs, who do business with both the West and Russia.
No matter who has the reins of government, the financial situation for the average Ukrainian under the oligarchs will not suddenly change if their government submits Ukraine to EU authority.
But EU authority will allow EU to dictate most government policy in terms of economics, the environment, the law, etc.
Try on “the law” for size. This is a brief summary of legal systems under EU dictates:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_acquis