World War III?

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From Forbes:

5 Things You Should Know About Putin's Incursion Into Crimea

I wonder if Ukraine will just roll over and let a part of their country be taken over?

It doesn't matter if the majority of that population are in support of the take over; there's ways you go about this, and it's not by sending in soldiers (who by definition are there to hold ground). If Russia cared about its "friends", it can let them across the border for free.

So, yeah, an act of war by Russia. And I doubt Ukraine will let it continue.

Looks like no one wants to start shooting.

Yeah, they're not real happy about having to recover from their own financial collapse (nor would we be, in all honesty).

This whole incident is getting very uncomfortable if you ask me. I feel that while it is wrong for a country like Russia to barge into Ukraine and take Crimean land, I say that this something that has to be dealt with precautious measures. Putin's intentions are quite clear, considering the amount of soldiers and armored vehicles being sent in. While this is not the beginning of "WWIII", this is definitely going to escalate into a conflict that deserves much more attention than is being provided.

Even if Obama did, Putin won't give a crap as to what the US thinks the Russian government should do in Ukraine.

I hope Russia keeps this attitude and wipes NK of the map.

Kosovo....

Two fascinating developments.

1) - The legal President Viktor Yanukovich wrote a letter, the Russians say, requesting Russian troops in the country to restore order. This would make the move legal according to Ukrainian law.

2) - There is a report that the regions of Kherson, Odessa. and Nikolayev, each of which are north of Crimea, are petitioning to join Crimea and become part of the autonomous republic.

There was a Crimean War in the 1800's. Russians and some others against Brit's and French. The infamous 'Charge of the Light Brigade' was one of the strange incidents of that war.

As far as WWIII starting over this new Crimean Crisis, I think it extremely unlikely. For that to begin to happen someone other then the Ukrainians, like the EU, NATO, or the USA, would have to oppose Russia's force with force and that does not appear to be on any of those organizations to-do list.

A deal brokered by the EU, UN, and Russia was signed by all parties, that the President would have less power, the Constituion more, and new elections would be held by December.

The Social Nationalist then seized power, appointed a government, themselves, new heads for the Military and Police, themselves, and appointed new Governors to replace the elected governors in all the provences, themselves.

This the US, EU are calling the ligitmate government of Ukraine. No one else agrees.

The President driven out, the Elected Governors, have no one to turn to but Russia.

The Admirial of the Navy defected to Crimea, the returning Flagship of the Navy is defecting to the Crimea, and Governors of the south and east are asking to join Crimea.

The Army is refusing to take orders from Kiev, they were ordered to takeover the local government buildings, airports, and set up checkpoints. They stayed at their bases. The Police were ordered by Kiev to arrest anyone who objected.

The Police are still directing traffic, and writting tickets. They do not care if you are the Russian Army, speed in a school zone, you will get a ticket.

New local elections are being called under the Law and Constituion of Ukraine.

Crimea is an Autonomus Region that is self governing and in Federation with Ukraine. They share in the laws, Constituion, of Ukraine, but have never been ruled by Kiev.

They elect their own leaders, and the attempt to appoint a leader by Kiev, violates the agreement of federation, rendering it void.

Kiev has disolved the Social Contract under which Ukraine functioned.

Kiev abolished the government, and made their small group unelected leaders for life.

No one is taking orders from Kiev, and they are broke.

Kiev is demanding $100,000,000 a day from the US, EU, IMF, about $2 per day per Ukrainian, just to keep going, and no one has come up with a dime.

When the payroll and pensions stop, they will lose all support.

They owe Russia $5 Billion in back gas payments. Russia has a hand on the valve, that will bring their industry to halt.

Having blown up the economy in the less than half the country they might control, some 20,000,000 are going to be in need of UN Food Aid. If they get food, they will need firewood to cook it. Famine has happened before.

The stable east and south have industry, will have gas and food, but have no means to stop a starving army from invading. So they have turned to Russia for help.

Russia just bought $3 Billion in Ukraine debt, it kept the country running for a month. They had offered $15 Billion, so they are fully prepared to invest in keeping the duly elected governments in power.

The Ukraine Admiral and the fleet have chosen to defend Crimea. Half the Army is Russian speaking.

The armed forces will chose their nation and people over any government.

The US and EU talk bad, but it is them who now have to pay $100,000,000 a day.

They were trying to gain control of the Russian Navel Base on the Black Sea, they have now opened the whole coast for Russian tourism. Poor Ukrainean speakers made bad tourists in the Russian speaking south. For Russians, it is the perfect vacation spot.

There is still an election coming, and the Russian speakers will win again. With control of the Ukraine Government, a long term deal can be made.

What I wrote was a riff on Neville Chamberlain.

Putin does not want any part of the Ukraine.

All he is doing is supporting the leading Democratic faction, which elected the President.

That faction is centered on the Russian speaking Crimea, and is the largest voting block.

Putin only wants good relations with his neighbors, even some of the Islamic ones.

The Admirel of the Navy, the Flagship, have also defected to the Crimea.

They are loyal to the Ukraine, sworn to uphold it, and reject the thugs in Kiev.

They are supporting the elected governments of their nation.

Russia maintains diplomatic relations with the government of Crimea,

As Putin said, "You cannot have diplomatic relations with a man in a ski mask holding an AK-47."

Isn't that what Putin's so-called local militia walking around Crimea actually are?

Which is hilarious in so many ways.

Inventor, would you not think this situation is a little bit rather...ideal for Moscow?

As I see it, the Ukranian president (the one that fled) was in a situation where the EU was making the initial offers that could lead to eventual EU membership to be opened to the Ukraine...and Russia came in and said that if Ukraine got closer to the EU then the Russian oil/heating oil supply would be cut off along with many other economic sanctions. The EU and the US saw that as Russia using economic muscle to keep its essentially satellite state from breaking off.

The ukraine president chose the Russian offer...which went fully against the will of the people as shown by polls and the massive demonstrations that happened practically the next day his decision was announced. Let's not forget the Russian offer was a bailout which literally enslaved the Ukrainian economy to Russia.

Protests escalated to the point the president had to flee. After fleeing the people find the insane luxury this president was living in..which was beyond his presidential salary and assets under his name. The money for all that was apparently coming from Moscow. The other politicians, governors, etc which also fled were found to have similar dirty money benefits all of which flowed in from Moscow.

What fled from Kiev was but a puppet of Moscow that had been elected under very dubious conditions. Remember his first run for the office there was a huge legal problem involving voter fraud, buying votes and intimidation that he was in the center of it all as beneficiary. His second run which got him elected was also dubious and he won with a very slim margin.

The parliament of the Ukraine used their constitutional powers to legally remove him from office after the way he responded to the protests..using 'special' police forces to brutally break off the protests which up to then had been peaceful marches. This made his special police forces crack down harder and the protesters fought back...and s**t hit the fan.

Now here comes Russia harboring their puppet, claiming the new government is illegal (when it but an interim government pending the parliament-mandated election in May), that they are 'defending' the Russian citizens (basically anyone born in the Ukraine pre-1995ish if memory serves me right) from an illegal government and demanding the elections be held in December....

..which is when the Russian heating oil would be desperately needed. Winter 'n all that you know?

The way Russia is pushing only indicates this is all to prevent the Ukraine from eventually joining the EU. They are doing it by screwing the Ukrainian economy and keeping it screwed via puppet bribe-appointed people in high places (a very Russian practice) and keeping the Ukraine dependent on Russian oil/heating oil/markets. The very agreement this puppet president had agreed to even included the preventing the Ukrainian markets from doing too much business with the EU markets.

So they send troops in to make an already unstable region even more unstable ...all in a bid to force the Ukraine to come back under their thumb by using winter as an economic weapon. All they need to do is sit there and wait for the Ukrainian economy to collapse and the people to have to accept the Russian demands.

If the EU and the US would be willing and ready to perform another 'Berlin Airlift' operation that would screw the Russian position and strengthen the Ukranian chances of having an election in May and having a legitimately elected new government that is aligned with the wishes of the people and not Moscow's dildo. That is precisely what Putin does not want or allow.

That article mentions that lower oil prices could be very destructive to the Russian economy. But the reverse is happening: since the conflict oil is up 3%, and short term natural gas is up 10%. Russia has both. So far this conflict has cost them nothing except some goodwill in the EU/US.