Crisis in the Ukraine

http://www.rferl.org/contentlive/clashes-in-ukraine-live-blog-kyiv/25267783.html#liveblog22352

Russian soldiers are clearly in Crimea. Ukraine officials are calling it an invasion.

 

The Russian Black Sea Fleet is based in Crimea, so yes Russian soldiers
are in Crimea.

Hard for the U.S. to say anything since our soldiers show up in random places
around the globe.

Amazing, this whole story is playing our like Tom Clancy's final novel that was published
in the fall - Command Authority

 

Funny how this flared up almost the day the Olympic flame was snuffed out, isn't it?

Ukraine has no military alliances, so they're a cupcake for the taking by Putin. The kid gloves are coming off, and if Putin shows designs on the Baltics, here we go.

 

Ukraine has no military alliances, but since all the pipelines through which Russia supplies natural gas to European Union countries run through it, it has a large body of nations with a vested interest in preventing conflict there and maintaining its sovereignty. Also, I believe it may have some guarantees for its giving up the nukes stationed there after the Soviet Union collapsed.

 

Putin exerting authority over the Ukraine during the Olympics reminded me of Michael Corleone taking out the heads of the rival families while he's at the Baptism.

It didn't go as planed, but the guy is ruthless.

 

This is a reprisal of what happened in Estonia.

 

Putin is an ex-KGB fuck who wants to reinstate the Supreme Soviet.
The fact that Russian troops are there is what it is. The fact that Russian troops are there with no insignia harkens back 100 years.

As for military action in the Crimea:

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

 

World War III is not going to start over freaking Ukraine. But this smacks mightily of you-know-who remilitarizing the Rheinland in 1936. It's a step toward future conflict.

 

First heard the news on NPR on the way home from work today, and immediately started reciting exactly this. Great minds, blah blah

 

If it had been the Heavy Brigade, they'd have kicked some ass.

 

made me think of this recital of COTLB

 

That was bloody outstanding. But water will not snuff out a modern pyrotechnic. I have experience.