Anyone else following news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

[Heelsbythebridge]

I think Crimea is going to end up being Russian property by the end of this :/

[enfield]

i thought russia had plenty of property :C

with israel well you can understand their desires for expansion. you might not like it but you cans see it. you hear so much about israel you imagine it to be this big imposing country. but then you see it on a map, and how small it is! of course they're going to be ashamed of being so small and eager to expand to the size they "ought" to be. but you see russia on the map and you think by god that's the biggest country there is! it really takes some time for you to wrap your head around just how big it is. and you're right, it really is the largest country by area, no one is denying that. if anything it "ought" to be smaller for its size to be brought more into line with its influence. so what they have to gain my expanding is really a mystery.

[Heelsbythebridge]

I thought Putin seemed like a pretty cool guy during the Olympics. But the parallels between him and Hitler are pretty funny to think about.

Russia just had Olympics. Germany had the Olympics.

Russia just wants Crimea. Germany initially only wanted Sudetenland.

Russia's reasoning for wanting Crimea is to protect the ethnic Russian people, even though they're technically Ukrainian by nationality. Germany's reasoning for wanting Sudetenland was to protect the ethnic German people, even though they were technically Czechoslovakian.

I'm no historian though and only going off Wikipedia and Reddit posts. Should we be worried? I feel like we should be.

[enfield]

i read the wikipedia too!

i wasn't going to but my mom came into my room to tell me russia had invaded crimea. i'd seen some things on reddit but only glances, i wanted to stay out of another foreign affair that my nose didn't belong in. but when it reached my mom then i had to read something on it so i didn't feel totally clueless. while it was just on reddit i could ignore it but once it entered my home, once those russian soldiers came into and broke up my family, once the unfolding situation was televised to my mom and caused her to take up the side of crimea while i blindly put my support behind russia, exposing a deep ideological rift between us, separating us, dividing us, then i had to read about it. at first i had just told her i supported russia which was a mistake. by her reaction i could tell that was the wrong side to support and that it revealed my ignorance. so i had to do something. i had to get some idea of what was going on and see why what i had said had been so wrong. so then i went to the wikipedia, not in good spirits, not because i wanted to for myself, but with the resolution of someone who knows its his duty to read up on something even if he'd rather not. i'd like to think my self-imposed selfless wikipedia reading that night was as noble as the crimea rebellion but that would be putting my nose far too much into it. i shouldn't be trying to relate to one side or the other but rather staying out of it, as far back as possible, as a neutral (but not altogether uninformed) observer of what is going on.

[Sagan]

Crimea Declares Independence Ahead of Popular Vote on Secession

Source: RIA NOvosti

MOSCOW, March 11 (RIA Novosti) – The parliament of Crimea, a majority ethnic Russian region within Ukraine, declared independence Tuesday ahead of a popular vote on secession and annexation by Russia.

The declaration appeared to be the latest attempt to shore up the legal basis of the upcoming referendum, which is scheduled for Sunday but has been declared unconstitutional by the country’s central leadership in Kiev.

A representative of the regional parliament’s press office said that 78 of 100 deputies voted to declare independence.

The text of the declaration, published on the parliament’s website, claims that the action is in accordance with international law, specifically citing a 2010 ruling by the International Court of Justice that affirmed Kosovo had the right to declare independence from Serbia.

Read more: http://en.ria.ru/world/20140311/1883...Secession.html

This is going to be a weird situation. The Crimeans will vote to join Russia.

Ukraine and the West will denounce the vote as illegal, in effect denying the expressed will of the Crimeans.

Russia will annex Crimea, in effect denying the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

What a mess.

[Sagan]

Nato jets to monitor Ukraine border

Source: BBC News

Nato is to deploy Awacs reconnaissance planes in Poland and Romania to monitor the Ukrainian crisis.

The alliance gave the go-ahead for the flights on Monday, a Nato spokesman told journalists.

"All Awacs reconnaissance flights will take place solely over Alliance territory," the official said.

The move comes as Russia cements its control of Ukraine's Crimea ahead of a referendum at the weekend for the peninsula to join Russia.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26521311

[Sagan]

Russia Masses Troops Near Ukraine

Source: Reuters

MOSCOW, March 13 (Reuters) - Russia announced on Thursday it had started military exercises near the border with Ukraine in what is likely to be seen as a show of force in the standoff with Kiev and the West over Crimea.

Separately, the ministry said Russia had sent six Su-27 jet fighters and three military transport planes to ally Belarus, responding to a request prompted by joint U.S.-Polish exercises in NATO nation Poland, Interfax reported.

The Defence Ministry confirmed exercises had begun in the Southern Military District near the Ukrainian border, involving 8,500 artillery men. Pictures had appeared earlier on social media showing military vehicles on the move in the area.

The exercise includes a large number of artillery and Grad (Hail), Hurricane and Tornado multiple-rocket launchers, the Defence Ministry said in a statement on its website.

Also involved are Howitzers, Nona self-propelled artillery and Rapier anti-tank guns, and the aim is to improve cooperation with motorised infantry, tank, air-assault and marine units.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_4957225.html