It is clear from reports in all but the Russian press that the Russians have crossed over from the Russian boarder and they are supplying the Ukrainian Separatists with arms. Of course this is something that Russia denies and and a message that it propagates through out the world via the television news station Russia Today. A new channel where high profile journalist left the channel because she couldn't be "part of a network that whitewashes the actions of Putin.". Looking at the comments on the Russia Today website nearly all I read supported the Russian view and those that weren't were just spam for Google, all appeared to be of mainly Russian orgin. It is clear the Russian propaganda machine is in full swing.
It is stupid for Russia to claim it has no involvement in the conflict while even the Ukrainian Separatists claim that there have been between 3000 to 4000 Russians fighting on their side, and still could be as far as we know. As we know from the conflict in the Crimea that the Russians are good at lying, when a lot of those men in green with guns all turned out to be Russian soldiers that had been put in place secretly by Putin and his Government to take over the region. As we know Tanks that only the Russians have been seen being used by Ukrainian Separatists, tanks they couldn't have captured from Ukrainian Government forces.
There is talk of the Russians forming a special peacekeeping force of some 5,000 soldiers made up from the some of their parachute regiments. According to Russian military sources the idea is that it is one way get into a country with bands playing than cheers rather than opposition of the local populace and condemnation from the world. Clearly another of Putin's methods of invading a nation by stealth, all very clever and very devious but after whet happened in Crimea everyone accept the Russian people will see through what he is trying to do. Everyone knows that Putin can't be trusted anymore, the truth is out there to be seen.
The tactic that Putin's and his Government are using is one used before by the USSR when counties once close to them tried to break away. First in Hungary in 1956 when Matyas Rakosi, a Stalinist was replaced by the liberal Imre Nagy. This led to the denunciation of Stalinism which lead to the notion they wanted to be free. The response of the USSR was to send in the the tanks and install a puppet government. Then in 1968 in Czechoslovakia, when the USSR did something similar after it seemed that the country wanted to break free of Soviet control. Basically this is what is happening today, the Ukrainians want stronger ties with Europe which isn't part of Putin's plans so heh as sent in the tanks, albeit in a much more sneaky way.
NATO and the EU need to be united behind a common policy against this aggression than instability it can cause in the region. It needs to be upholding the right of every nation to have its boarders respected by other nations. For the people to have the right elect governments that then implement the peoples wishes. The governments like the boarders should be respected by other nations too, if elected in free elections without fear and intimation. These are the basic principles of international laws and things that Putin should be respecting and not trying to circumvent. International law and agreements are there to make the world a safer place, it might not always be perfect and it might be open to manipulation, but it is the only thing we have to keep the peace. Putin needs to pull out his troops and stop interfering in another nations business rather than fuelling a war.
Finally I can see a new slogan appearing in come usage "Once a Soviet always a Soviet". Valdinir Putin represents all that was wrong with the old Soviet Union. All those things the people of Russian thought they had got rid of with the fall of communism. Well it is all coming back to haunt them again!
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