…as apparently Russia isn’t satisfied with just taking over Crimea in Ukraine…at least according to the Russian Foreign Ministry (rough Google translation below).
“March 13 in Donetsk tragic events and bloodshed. Peaceful demonstrators who came to the streets to express their attitude to the destructive position of people who call themselves the Ukrainian authorities, attacked right-wing groups, armed with traumatic weapons and bats that began to arrive on the eve of the city from other parts of the country. The clashes have a large number of wounded and one person died.”
“We have repeatedly stated that came to power in Kiev must disarm militants and ensure public safety and the legitimate right of people to hold rallies. Unfortunately, as the events in Ukraine, this does not happen, the Kiev authorities are not in control of the situation in the country.”
“Russia is aware of its responsibility for the lives of fellow citizens and the Ukraine and reserves the right to take people under protection.”
Note: Emphasis mine.
In hindsight we can see that the Budapest Memorandum was a grievous mistake & that Ukraine should have kept those 1900 nukes after all.
Now with nothing to fear from Ukraine other than a passive military & potential US sanctions, I wouldn’t be surprised if Russia decided to annex Eastern Ukraine in the the name of freedom & safety.
