Ukraine/Russia/NATO, a new cold war

[rBST Cow]

If you don't know, recently Ukraine underwent riots in their capitol city of Kiev. The rioters then took over the government and created a new government, which NATO(and more specifically the US) supports as they didn't like the old leader since he had close ties with the President of Russia. Quickly after Ukraine was falling apart, Russia swooped in and began to go into Crimea claiming that it was lawful due to some laws that were passed decades ago(Had to do with Russia protecting it's territory/allies/whatever). Eventually, some Ukrainians voted to leave Russia. After some time of Russia running around in Crimea and taking over Naval Bases, Russia voted to annex Crimea back into their territory. Since then, Russian supporters and Russian Military have been disarming any Ukrainian military vehicles or personel. Due to all the recent turmoil, more and more Ukrainians have been voting to be independent of Ukraine(and I'd assume join Russia). The US is getting angry about it, Russia is happy that they are taking back Crimea, and Ukraine is divided on the whole thing.

Russia is using psychological warfare and will most likely win this war--Without having to fire a single bullet.




Please discuss your thoughts on the issue.

[Hazard Time]

I've discussed this with both my Russian teacher and even conducted my own research via independent news organizations, such as BBC and The Moscow Times.  In both cases, it's really hard to say whom we should side with or even if we should be getting involved at all.

Not that we didn't like the old president, we just recognize the new administration since the he was formally removed from office by the Ukrainian parliament after he vetoed a bill that would allow Ukraine to join the EU.  Most Ukrainians, while they speak Russian as well as the Ukrainian dialect, have no kinship with Russia considering how they were an unwilling satellite during the days of the the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.  In their eyes, if they wanted to live in a country without most basic human rights that we here in America take for granted, then they sure as Hell wouldn't be living in Ukraine.

Despite how it appears on the news, there is very little popular support for the separatists.  Crimea, however, is another story.  While most Ukrainians prefer unity as per these polls here, most Crimeans do not identify as Ukrainians.  About 80% of the population in Crimea is ethnically Russian and/or speaks Russian, not to mention that Crimea was a part of Russia until it was transferred to Ukraine in 1954.  There are also reports that many of the Separatists in east Ukraine are in fact Russians bussed over the border to make it look like the entire region is rising up against the government and is demanding unification with Russia.  While more than a few Ukrainians in the east wish to separate from Ukraine, joining the Russian Federation isn't exactly as popular an idea as we think it is.

Finally, we get the big question:  Whose side should we be on?  While I did say that most Ukrainians prefer unity, not very many approve of the government.  There has been a lot of talk about the radical elements that have been taking power lately.  In particular, there is Right Sector, a far right ultranationalist group with plans to deport all non-catholics and non-ethnic Ukrainians as well as return to old Ukrainian family values.  Russian state news outlets have picked this up and are claiming that if Russia does not invade Ukraine to depose these fascists, that they will be doing a dishonor to all those Soviet soldiers who died in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.

As for the Russians themselves, what they are doing is nothing short of imperialism.  Although the Soviet Union collapsed more than 20 years ago, Putin is doing his best to hold on to whatever influence he still has over his satellites.  This has resulted in the breakaway states of Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Crimea; states whose sovereignty the world at large has not yet recognized with the exception of Russia.  After Yanukovich was ousted from power in Ukraine, Putin has no intention of losing control over the Black Sea.  The port of Sevastopol in Crimea has been a strategic point ever since the city was established and from it, Russia has control over the entire region.

Also, I disagree that Russia is using psychological warfare.  I believe the word you are looking for is proxy warfare.  It is like what happened with them in Afghanistan and what happened to us in Korea.  During the Korean War, before the Chinese got involved, Russia had been not only supplying the North Koreans with weapons and vehicles, but they had also sent trainers to train the Nork pilots.  There are even reports of Soviet pilots flying North Korean MiG-15s shooting down and being shot down by American F-86s.  Thirty years later, when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the Americans began supplying the Mujahideen (Which totally didn't bite us in the ass 20 years later).  What started off as minor shipments of bolt-action rifles and ammo soon evolved into us arming them with modern American-made MANPADs (MAN Portable Air Defense, AKA Stingers).