AP: “Russia says its response to the further development of a U.S. missile shield in Poland will go beyond diplomacy.”

It’s beginning to look as though Russia’s intent all along may have been to invade, occupy and annexe eastern Ukraine and the Black Sea port it leases at Sevastopol. If so, then the clearly premeditated move into Georgia was designed primarily to obtain confirmation, now provided, that no practical opposition will be offered by the west.

Russia appears to be already incurring all the likely consequences for invading either or both – it might as well now continue and take the one it really wants.