Can I get a quick rundown on Crimea?

[kandrathe]

Jester pretty much covered it. This is mostly mishandled leftovers from the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the disposition of the Black Sea Naval bases. Not sure that the US should even have a role in it, as long as it's mainly saber-rattling, and no one's killing civilians.

I heard some interesting things on NPR tonight's discussion of Crimea... One was that in terms of timing Putin might be wagging the dog, to divert the subject from the massive non-repayable debts from the Sochi builds given mostly to Putin's friends. Ultimately, this is a Putin swagger meant to impress the domestic Russian nationals. "See, Russia is tough, and smart."

Second, for Ukraine, losing the welfare state of Crimea may not be such a bad thing. Almost all the native Russians (in Ukraine) live there, so shedding it gets rid of an ethnic problem politically for Ukraine. Crimea also depends on Ukraine for water and electricity. Not sure what Russia plans to do for infrastructure. The losers will be the Taters, even though the Russians have promised... I really doubt it.

Also, the deal between Russian and Ukraine for Russian use of Sevastopol was for Ukraine to get Ng from Gazprom at below market price. Now, they are jacking the price to above market prices, which will force Ukraine closer to Europe in the long run.