Ukraine Crisis

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I don't think there is any ideology behind it. Russia is trying to preserve its sphere of influence, and to be fair everyone does the same.

The main problem is that while Western countries now more or less accept the right to self-determination, Russia is still ready to go at war to keep what it sees as "its playground". France was there 50 years ago with its colonies.

(An analogy would be that Westerners are now trying to find partners by being attractive, while unattractive Russia still uses rape.)

[swl]

Unofficial translation to the protocol signed in Minsk:

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The ceasefire is very fragile. The exchange of prisoners is still going on. Poroshenko will introduce a bill to the parliament next week offering more autonomy to the Eastern regions, but rejects federalization.

[swl]

If you thought that the far-right battalions were an invention of Russian propaganda and would not create any problem:

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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/10/azov-far-right-fighters-ukraine-neo-nazis

https://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/know-your-volunteer-battalions-infographic-363944.html

[swl]

So the new ukrainian government comprises 3 foreign citizens: one US citizen, one Georgian and one Lithuanian. TNot sure how this is supposed to help...