[Vigilanteman]

Yes it is as this map shows:

I really can't see leaving Ukraine without a coastline and still preserving any form of peace and stability. Of course, if Moldova rejoins Russia as seems likely at this point, you aren't going to get stability with an East Prussia type separation either.

[jwalsh07]

99% of Americans could not tell you what planet Crimea is on.

[lodi90]

Putin will probably pause his expansionist agenda with Crimea and continue to destabilize Ukraine. Once he gets another stooge in control of Ukraine he will move on to another small country he can bully. Probably in the Baltics because he can engage a weakened NATO there. If Russian tanks roll there it will be a shooting war with Russia or the end of NATO.

[grania]

My computer choked up when I tried to research the ethnic breakdown of Odessa. There have been pro-Russian protests about the city’s fate. It’ll be interesting to see how it unfolds in southern Ukraine. What we hear about is eastern Ukraine.

[Thunder90]

The problem is that you would have this western tongue intruding into the East (West Ukraine would be surrounded by Belarus, Russia, East Ukraine, and Moldova).

New East Ukraine Flag:

Crimea would become part of Russia.