After a couple of weeks of relative calm, the unrest in Eastern Ukraine looks to be exploding again today, with thousands of protesters waving Russian flags condemning the “illegal junta in Kiev” in three major eastern cities.
The protesters seized government buildings in each city, most notably in the key industrial city of Donetsk, where they are now demanding a referendum on secession from Ukraine and accession into Russia.
Ukraine’s interim government in vowing to crack down on the protests to “restore order” to the border region, and are blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for the demonstrators.
Donetsk and the surrounding area was overwhelming supportive of the ruling Party of Regions, forced out by pro-West protests, and elected President Yanukovych, now in exile in Russia, was born just outside of Donetsk.
According to Wikipedia, Ukrainians constitute 56% of the the population of Donetsk Province, in Lugansk, it's 58% and in Kharkov, 70%. It's going to be very hard to fake the annexation of any one of those provinces but if Putin is fool enough to do so, then let him! The more he grabs, the more he convinces the world that he can only be stopped by force and there's no way he can re-constitute the territory of the Soveit Union without attacking the Baltic republics, which more or less "give him the finger" on the map and block access to the Kaliningrad enclave. And there's no way the US can fefuse to fight for the Baltic republics without undermining Israel. Thus, the more Putin paints himself into a corner, the easier he will be to clobber for good and all in the Baltic.
Re: "And there's no way the US can fefuse to fight for the Baltic republics without undermining Israel."
Honestly, whatever you are being paid you are not worth it but that's good! (the money might otherwise have been spent to some actual malign effect). Previously we have heard from you "Never forget that the big loser in the US capitulation over Crimea was Israel" (thread 'Ukraine Refuses to Pay for Gas From Russia') Really! Israel has clout both in the Baltic states and Crimea?
In other news of chaos in Kiev, the Right Sector is taking over the Supreme Court
there :http://rt.com/news/right-sector-supreme-court-825/ Probably won't be seeing this soon in the New York Times
Michael Putin and foreign minister are keep saying for last 2 week that Ukranian goverment need to reform Ukraine, give more freedom to the regions, make federation or confederation.Today representive of Russian council of federation said :" We will not move troops into Ukraine without permission of the UN". So now it is all up to UN. Abot Baltics i doubt we ever touch them unless they will start genocide or something like that. They cry about possible agression from 1990 and yet nothing happend so far. Russia don't need them even for free, they are useless, poor and pray for nazi imho.Most known joke in Russia is that Baltic's are like a cat, they ear for free, drink for free, make a smal poop to all around and pretend that they don't speak Russian.
Re: " And there's no way the US can fefuse(sic) to fight for the Baltic republics without undermining Israel."
Where do you get this utter drivel? On another thread (Ukraine Refuses to Pay for Gas From Russia) you said "Never forget that the big loser in the US capitulation over Crimea was Israel". If you are being paid you are forgiven (seriously!) you are taking their money! money which would otherwise have been used for some worse evil.
This was intended as a reply to Michael Kenny (1st comment)