Putin is making moves in the Crimea, it appears, issuing large numbers of Russian passports there. These will enable him to claim that there are substantial numbers of Russian citizens in The Crimea in need of his 'protection'. The pro-Russian Soyuz Party holds the majority in the Crimean Parliament, and the Crimea is far more pro-Russia than the rest of the Ukraine, having been Russian territory until the 1950s, with two thirds of the population claiming Russian ethnicity. An article in The Telegraph outlines the ways that pro- and anti-Russian ethnic tensions within the Ukraine are building. The President issued a decree restricting the movement of the Russian fleet during the Georgian crisis, and this could also be taken as a provocation by Putin. The Ukraine, in any event must know that it has to be next on his list.Saturday, 23 August 2008
America Will Prefer Russia As Its Ally
Posted on The Tap Blog
Posted on The Tap Blog
Saturday, 23 August 2008
Posted by Britannia Radio at 11:32