Putin’s calculations on Crimea
субота, 22 березня, 2014Публікація на EUobserver
The annexation of Crimea was a fait accompli in late February when Russian forces seized control of the peninsula, before anybody in Crimea cast a vote in the “referendum,” before Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed anything in Moscow.
Putin’s big speech: Russian nationalism has its limits (Photo: kremlin.ru)
By sending troops on 15 March to seize a gas distribution plant on the Ukrainian mainland, he showed he is prepared to escalate.
By letting his men shoot dead a Ukrainian officer in Simferopol on 18 March, he showed he is ready for the escalation to involve bloodshed.
When EU countries and the US imposed sanctions on some of his inner circle, it changed nothing.