 |
| CNN |
I'm not exactly sure how Vladimir Putin intends to retain what credibility he ever had by lying to our faces when we know better, i.e. that the Kremlin didn't send troops into the Crimean peninsula- but another thing we can see with our own two eyes is that the Russians likely intended to move into as much Ukrainian territory as possible, and likely take the whole country.
They probably counted on the Ukrainians providing them an excuse to get violent, but due to incredible discipline and restraint they've yet to fire a shot at the Russians... the easy gains are done... and now the world is turning on Moscow.
The idea was to nab as much land as they could -quickly- without engaging in a highly-damaging hot war with their Slavic brethren: besides Crimea, some other town halls were taken-over by pro-Russian locals and some newly arrived actual Russians in the south-east of the country. If fired on, the Russians would make the most of the opportunity and press their considerable military advantage.
Apparently Putin didn't think much of the Ukranians' will to resist, and thought he could scam them out of their country quietly, while retaining some semblance of deniabilty if he needs to call it all off.
Now the momentum for his stealthy blitzkrieg has stalled in the face of resistance from both citizenry and soldiers in the east of the country: one of the key first steps -conquering all Crimean military facilites from the Kiev government -was never completed due to Ukrainian soldiers standing up and honoring thier oath to the nation. They've been threatened, watched ultimatums come and go, had electricity cut-off, and were even offered bribes of cash and apartments to desert to the pro-Russian side. These are guys who only make about 500 bucks a month.. and they told them to get lost.
There is a lot to admire about the Ukrainians' resolve and determination in this fight for liberty... sure wish more people in the US had this level of appreciation for freedom, because our country is moving in precisely the other direction-
and like a runaway train.
and like a runaway train.