https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220924-live-biden-vows-swift-and-severe-costs-if-russia-annexes-ukraine-regions
Ukraine regions vote in 'sham' referendums as Putin toughens
penalties for refusing to fight
Videos circulating showing ballot boxes being taken home by
armed men in the Luhansk region
Serhiy Haidai, the Luhansk regional governor, has described
the so-called referendums happening in the Kremlin-held
regions of eastern and southern Ukraine as "an opinion poll
conducted at gunpoint"
. . .
Vote for Vlad - OR ELSE !
Now, depending on the exact location, the ballots
may actually reflect a true desire to merge with
Russia. It has been known for a very long time
that the extreme east of Ukraine really thinks of
itself as Russian. Not ALL of course, but perhaps
a firm majority.
The border of Ukraine were drawn up by Soviet
bureaucrats a long time ago - but nobody thought
the USSR would ever break up. Then, suddenly,
it's an issue - "Ukraine" was drawn a little too
far to the east. There was also the issue of
Crimea - not only had the USSR poured huge
amounts of money into building up all those
shipyards, but it had been a point of contention
for at least a century. Finally it is a major
strategic point.
So, Russia would NOT give up Crimea, esp to a new
country that was keen to merge with its NATO opponents.
I've seen old maps ... there really wasn't a country
of Ukraine. Everybody drew it as part of Russia even
way back into the 1400s. The CULTURE however WAS a bit
different - a nation in *theory* perhaps.
The other day Putin complained of the euro-sponsored
"fascist coup" against his puppet govt in Ukraine.
Rather like the USA bitchin' because one of our
favorite dictators got booted by commies. As best
I can tell it WAS a NATO-sponsored coup, intentionally
designed to overlap the big "Arab Spring" thing -
with the goal to install western-leaning dictators.
And who would REPLACE Putin ? Might be even WORSE.
At best right now, the best tact seems to be in
preventing Putin from GAINING anything more in
Ukraine but also he can't be seen LOSING much
either. Nobody is gonna get back the Donbas but
a few Russian gains to the south might be recovered.
Eventually, likely soon, there WILL be a new leader
in Russia. By playing the line between defense and
offense we MIGHT keep that from being an ultra-
nationalist bent on revenge and empire.
Oh, I see the odd pundit scream that we oughtta
NUKE Russia any time it even SPEAKS of nuclear
attack. These people have NO CLUE and are even
more dangerous than Putin himself. Hell YES
Russia's nukes will work as designed, and
will irradiate the planet. Sorry, but a closet
full of food paks will NOT let you survive WW3,
just slightly prolong your horrible death.