Mark my words - someday the Russkies are going to go into Ukraine in force. The excuse will be that they were stepping in to stop violence or impending violence against the “legitimate government” of Ukraine by Western-backed terrorists. Except that the “legitimate government” of Ukraine at that point will be some fringe that claims to be the government after having committed some kind of fraud. The intervention will be “legal” in that the “legitimate government” will have signed a mutual assistance treaty (or some such crap).
Just watch; the world is being set up for an instant replay of the Soviet Empire, courtesy of Vlad Dracul Putin.
>> Mark my words - someday the Russkies are going to go into Ukraine in force.
No need for that, they just need a govt which they control completely, with respect to the foreign politics and energy policy.
Kuchma was an old fox, too shrewd to not hedge his bets. Yuschenko is (was?) looking toward NATO and EU, but that was not to be.
Now Yulia and/or Yanukovich will come out on top. Both will be very receptive to Putin’s wishes. Once Russia takes over the gas transit pipeline and some crucial media channels, it has reeastablished Ukraine as its satellite.
People in the Western Ukraine will grumble, but as long as the gas is not too expensive and they are not forced to speak Russian, they would not complain too loudly.