Ukraina valde Ryssland före EU - stora protester som följd, länkar i inlägg2

It is interesting that Viktor Yanukovych has made it clear he does not think Crimea should secede from Ukraine.

We have not heard that officially from Russian official sources either. They talk about the need for more autonomy, more self-rule in Crimea, but no-one is talking about breaking away from Ukraine.

That is possibly because the Russian authorities are treading a tightrope between challenging the authorities in Kiev and trying to keep good relations with the West.

They know the whole issue of secession would lead to a real confrontation, politically and diplomatically.

The question for President Putin is how far he can push it without risking a full-scale confrontation.

Maybe he thinks he can have it both ways - encourage more Crimean autonomy but stop short of secession; criticise the new Kiev government but avoid a full break in relations; and try to unnerve Ukraine's young government by heavy-handed manoeuvres on the border without actually invading.

That way, on the phone to Western capitals, he can continue to reassure everyone that Russia's intentions are entirely peaceful.

But it is a dangerous game. For now it may be mostly shadow boxing, but if tensions escalate further, a full-scale crisis between East and West may be impossible to avoid.

Yet for many, Russia and Ukraine are inseparable. That is why Putin will not let go easily. Indeed, for all the personal menace that he exudes, it is hard to imagine that even a less aggressive Russian leader would see Ukraine as anything but part of Russia's bailiwick. It is hard to think of two countries more entangled, historically, culturally, financially and demographically – for better or worse. This is the reality confronting the West.
The best that can be achieved in this extraordinarily febrile atmosphere is for Ukraine's new leaders to display caution. Putin was flexing his muscles yesterday as he deployed Russian armour within Crimea, purportedly in defence of his Black Sea Fleet's positions. He may eventually go further and launch a military strike of some sort - but that is a high-risk gambit, particularly with so much Russian money stranded in Ukraine. For the moment, he is more likely to play a waiting game, safe in the knowledge that pro-Moscow militia in Crimea and elsewhere will continue to foment trouble.
The best, and possibly only, hope for Ukraine to emerge relatively unscathed (with or without control of the Crimean peninsula) is for the establishment of a solid and un-corrupt administration in Kiev.---

Just under 10 years ago I sat face to face with Vladimir Putin. For four hours late into the night at his dacha outside Moscow (we were drinking tea, all traces of Boris Yeltsin and alcohol having been expunged), he let me enter into his world of grievance.
For half an hour, without wavering in his steely stare and without repetition, deviation or hesitation, the Russian president explained to our small group how he had been betrayed by the West. When al-Qaeda destroyed the Twin Towers in New York on 9/11 in 2001, Russia rallied behind the US. When Tony Blair and George Bush went to war in Iraq in 2003, Russia did not stand in their way, even though it disagreed with the invasion.
When the Baltic republics were invited to join not just the European Union, but the Western military alliance of Nato too, he didn't cause trouble, because that is where historically these three small states have always been inclined.
And what did he get in return for his "generosity"? The United States and its allies repaid their debt by making a grab for Georgia and Ukraine, trying to bring these two countries – which were at the heart of the Soviet Union – into the Western orbit. And on and on he fumed.

Givetvis inte! Tyskland vill bara skydda Sudettyskarna ifrån det tjeckoslovakiska judisk-demokratiska förtrycket. Sedan har vi absolut inga mer territoriella krav i Europa. Vi är till och med beredda att skriva under en avtal om detta!

Fred i vår tid!

The crisis in Ukraine was deepening on Saturday as Crimea's pro-Russian prime minister called for Vladimir Putin to intervene while Washington warned Moscow any military action would lead to 'costs'.

Sergei Aksenov, the pro-Russian prime minister of Crimea, declared himself in charge of all military forces, police and other security services in the autonomous Ukrainian region, while also making a direct appeal to the Russian president.

In a statement reported by local and Russian news agencies, Aksenov said any elements of the armed forces, police, national security service and border guards who did not agree to answer only to his orders should leave their posts.

"Understanding my responsibility for the life and security of citizens, I appeal to the president of Russia Vladimir Putin for assistance in guaranteeing peace and calmness on the territory of the autonomous republic of Crimea," Aksenov said in his statement.

With pro-Russian forces already in apparent control of Crimea's key airport and parliament building, and Russian troops reportedly on the move across the peninsula, the White House warned against any further escalation in what has rapidly degenerated into the most tense regional crisis since the Russia-Georgia war six years ago. Aksenov, the head of the main pro-Russia party on the peninsula, was appointed by the Crimean parliament on Thursday as tensions soared over the authorities resistance to the new authorities in Kiev, who took power last week.