I think the Ukrainians are playing it dumb. They should be already blowing crap up in Russia. They should be talking to the Turks to liven things up there.
By doing nothing they allow Putin an easy victory.
or maybe they don’t really want to bleed to get their freedom? Maybe they want U.S. to.....in which case I tell em to go to hell.
Show me
Well do you really want to get in a p*ss fight with the Bear?
At this point, blowing things up in Russia would just give Putin the excuse he needs to move heavy forces into Ukraine. The Turks may have been talked to, but, why would they want to antagonize Russia now? Maybe if Turkey is allied with the Crimean Tatars, that would gain sympathy, but is sympathy alone worth it to Turkey?
A bigger problem now is that the entire Ukrainian security apparatus is heavily infested with pro-Russians, if not out-and-out spies at higher levels. Probably every post of significance outside of the military was occupied by a Yanukovych cockroach, and even much of the military is compromised. It’s pretty hard to rebuild quickly almost from scratch. Kiev can try to bring in military from central and western Ukraine, but then they have to be careful those forces are not TOO vindictive, as that again brings Russia in, full force.
On the other hand, there may be no way for Ukraine to ultimately keep its territory without enticing Russia into a full scale attack / occupation, and fighting a long war of attrition. I believe that war could be won, but as I’ve posted elsewhere, IMO it could cost Ukraine somewhere in the neighborhood of half a million dead on their side, and a devastated country. (It might be even worse, as the added aspect of a civil war vs. some of their own seems to be clearer now.)
Half a million dead is a horrifying figure, but is much lower than the price Ukraine paid in WW2, only to end up subjugated to and purged by Russia.
I was walking all alone thru a side show
With passion and pain on each side.
Something inside me was calling
For a chance to stay alive.
At the time I didn’t know what was calling
As my head was buried in grief.
Today I heard what was crying.
My FREEDOM calling me
(Refrain):
And we all make our choices
Like a blind man feels his way,
And the choice I’ve made is simple:
Passion over pain.
When I got to the end of the side show
And looked back to where I had been,
My eyes filled with teardrops of loneliness
For the ones who will never be free
(Refrain)
I thought of the children in the side show
As they wandered around so confused.
Some day they’ll make their decision
But which one will they choose?
(Refrain)
“Choices” by Uriah Heep (K. Hensley)