Nomenklatura:

This isn’t really about Georgia at all. It’s about the Ukraine, the Crimea Russia’s access to the Black Sea via Sevastopol. Look at the map.

bingo.

neolex:

@wretchard

The ultimate Russian revenge on Ukraine would to splitting the country in 2, not merely taking Crimea.

bingo bingo bingo.

this is the “stretch goal” as they say in KGB. the best possoble outcome for putin.

now, ukrainian government is democratic, unlike fascist georgian, and hard to beat or subdue, but it is still a nationalistic government; and about the half of ukrainian population are either ethnic russians or rusified ukrainians, more on the east. they felt uneasy under ukranian nationalists, with mandatory ukranian language and discrimination at government jobs – putin can play at it now that ukraine violated its promises to russia at crimea. quality of life is also much higher in russia – hard to imagine a better propaganda card.

incidentally, most of heavy industries of ukraine are on the east (russian) side.