On a side note, I love how every Putin apologist is all of a sudden an expert on Ukrainian law and Constitution.

If you could please elaborate, for outside of one, maybe two posters, most posts in this thread seem to share your perspective.

Well, you have Mr R who is eager to restore Russian control over all of former USSR, actual people be damned. Then you have Chippy, Magnus and Algren being themselves.

For someone like me, with family and friends who live in Ukraine and have to live with the consequences of Putin's czar complex, this is a bit too much.

I would say it happened after more because Putin wouldn't allowed sending Russian troops into Ukraine during the Olympics. It would have made him look bad. I do think this situation was building over the last few months and was going to happen. Things do seem to be cooling over there for the moment. I am hoping Putin is seeing things are going his way. Unless his whole plan was just to get Crimea.

I made 2 jokes and one serious post. Which is legitimate. F you, Krem!

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First of all, they never said that, they ran a poll asking the viewers that question. It might be inflammatory, sure, but it's a question that many historians have asked as well. It's not a black and white answer. It is very convenient for the Putin regime to use it to silence the only channel that airs opposition vies.

Second, I said most major cable providers, not all. Stop being coy by saying that just because you have it there is no issue. You can read the list of operators that shut it off here: http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2404738



Yes, Russian troops can be in Crimea - but on Russian bases, not on Ukrainian soil, blocking access to Ukrainian civil and military objects - which is what they're doing right now.

Of course, according to your president those are not Russian troops at all - they're just some random guys who happen to be wearing Russian issue uniform, driving Russian tanks and using Russian army weapons. But not Russian troops.

As for Right Sector - I'm not going to deny that there aren't issues with far-right nationalism in Ukraine, but the Russian government blows them out of proportion for its own gain. Let's not forget that since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has led a peaceful existence with no terrorism or national division issues, while Russia has had two civil wars fought on its soil and countless terrorist attacks. We do not need your patronizing attitude towards bloodbaths - go fix your own messes.

Yanukovich stopped being a legitimate president the second he fled Kiev and refused to sign the law that would restore the Constitution of 2004 - which he agreed to do according to the February 21st agreement with the opposition. It's tough to talk about legitimacy for a man who has not been seen or heard from in over a week.

Really, you can stop right there and save us all from your mental gymnastics justifying Russia's behavior and coming up with quasi-legal excuses for why the government in Ukraine is illegitimate. You simply want USSR back, without at all trying to understand the forces that tore it apart in the first place. Comrade Putin is proud of your service on the Internet.

I've gotta give you one thing - unlike Putin, you are actually honest and blunt about what you want and hope to happen.

That being said, I sincerely hope that will never happen. The way Russia is going, no surprise that in the past 15 years I never ever felt the desire of going back there, even for a visit.

Putin does say that, just in slightly more diplomatic terms. But actions speak louder than words.

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That is only assuming that Russia will ever have the need to actually defend itself.

Take is an incorrect word. Those countries want to freely join NATO because they fear Russia. Cf. Georgia and Ukraine and that is the last handful of years.

Why do you fear those countries joining NATO or creating agreements with the EU and maybe joining it at a future date? They will still trade with Russia and I am extremely doubtful they will attack it and if they did, they would obviously lose. Plus I doubt most of the member states in NATO would honor treaty obligations unless one of the major NATO powers were attacked. For example, I doubt Albania would get the same treatment as France/Germany/UK/Canada/U.S. would get if they were attacked.

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you are crazy nobody is attacking Russia because they have nukes. The U.S. or NATO wouldn't attack Russia for the same reason Russia or China for that matter would start a war with them because it would lead to WW3 and with Nuclear War nobody wins but the cockroaches. Also those troops are Russian troops, only a fool would deny that. Journalists from CNN and others have talked to them and one of them even admitted to them they were from Russia.

No need for quotation marks. It was an occupation and it is also when you stole other resources (agricultural products and land from Ukraine, for one) and starved populations to death.

No, now that you asked it, I actually don't, no.

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Man this dude really like Russia huh. Chill out, quit Russian to their defense.

R, you are a fanatic.