Russia will recognize two regions in Ukraine

[BeyondGeography]

Source: NY Times

MOSCOW — The Kremlin said Monday that President Vladimir V. Putin would recognize the independence of two territories in Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists, further escalating tensions in what Western nations fear could lead to one of the biggest conflicts in Europe since World War II.

The announcement was made by the Kremlin in a statement summarizing Mr. Putin’s phone calls on Monday with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany.

“The president of Russia said that he intended to sign the relevant decree in the near future,” the Kremlin said. “The president of France and the Federal Chancellor of Germany expressed their disappointment with this development. At the same time, they indicated their readiness to continue contacts.” Mr. Putin was expected to deliver an evening address to the nation later on Monday.

His phone calls with the German and French leaders came after an extraordinary session of the Russian Security Council at which Mr. Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of using Ukraine “as an instrument of confrontation” with Russia, and said it posed “a serious, very big threat to us.”

The move is a high-stakes gambit by Mr. Putin that threatens to engage Russia and Ukraine in a deadly military conflict while sharply escalating Moscow’s conflict with the West. The separatist enclaves claim all of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions as their territory, while controlling only about one-third of them. Russia has conducted an enormous troop buildup to Ukraine’s north, east and south, which Western officials say could be used to conduct a large-scale invasion.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/21/world/ukraine-russia-putin-biden/russia-will-recognize-two-regions-in-ukraine-a-possible-prelude-to-invasion

[bahboo]

1. Put the screws to him right now...

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

3. Yep...

... freeze all Russian assets in western banks, drop orders for any petroleum from Russia... do business with the good folks in Norway and U.S. of A. while Germany advances their renewable energy sources.

I also see this as Putin finding a way to put Russian money into these so called breakaway states, well, then just take away that money.

[oldsoftie]

16. The problem is Putin has stored over a 1/2 trillion US dollars since '14

So even without access to banks he'll be able to weather sanctions.
UKR needs to inflict as much damage as possible when/if they're attacked.
UKR is a LARGE country. 190k troops can overtake UKR, but won't be able to hold the country. And the Ukrainians are pissed & willing to fight.

[secondwind]

2. Damn!

[yaesu]

4. "It might be not a direct invasion, but instead ... recognition, then maybe dragging on some days or

weeks before Russian so-called ‘peacekeepers’ enter Luhansk and Donetsk occupied territories,” The Guardian

[The Mouth]

5. Rebels should be violently surpressed

along with any who support them.

We made that mistake here by not hanging every greycoat up through everyone where they shouldn't be on 1/6.

[DickKessler]

6. Carving up Ukraine so that it will always be under the Russian thumb.

Awful.

[cilla4progress]

7. He will now move in his troops to "protect"

these newly "independent" regions.

West must act NOW!!!!!

[Happy Hoosier]

8. I wanna say "I told you so" so badly....

When our response to Russia seizing Crimea was so weak, this move became inevitable. It wasn't just the US either. Europe really blew it here.

The next step is that this "independent" region requests help from the Russians to expel the Ukrainian forces. And they they "vote" to join Russia.

You watch.

[Deminpenn]

17. In the geopolitical game, Ukraine is an expendable

country. It's not part of NATO and the US, Europe aren't going to go to war to defend it.

Sad, but true.

[Happy Hoosier]

24. No need for a war on this, IMO.

If we had gone to mat on economic sanctions after Crimea, we wouldn't be here. I am disappointed in in the decisions that brought us to an almost no win situation.

[Deminpenn]

28. Ukraine is

Last edited Tue Feb 22, 2022, 01:27 PM - Edit history (1)

kind of the ham in the sandwich between NATO/Europe and Russia.

[Happy Hoosier]

32. Here's the thing... NATO is not going to invade Russia

The Europeans don't want war. There is no plausible scenario where NATO invades Russia without provocation.

[Deminpenn]

35. Russia knows that

It's why Putin moved in. Ukraine is on their own to fight although I'm sure they'll be getting supplies and equipment from the US and other countries.

[ashredux]

9. Now he can "defend" them from the aggression of Ukraine against his neighbors

[Botany]

10. Hitler did this with the Sudetenland in Czechoslovikia in 1938 and Neville Chamberlain ....

... went right along with Hitler in order to avoid a war but instead got a much bigger war that lasted
more than 5 years. I don't know why but Putin wants to keep a war with Ukraine front and center for
some reason. Now his armies can roll into Ukraine but he will take terrible losses, the Russian economy
will crater, he will never win "the occupation," and he face a huge back lash @ home too.

BTW Gen. Flynn all but helped to give parts of Ukraine to Russia in 2014 after which President Obama fired
him.

[L. Coyote]

12. Hitler 2.0

Link to tweet

[AntiFascist]

13. He keeps stressing the "Orthodox Christian" bonds with Russia, so this is a danger...

Hitler was also initially supported by the Catholic Church, until they turned against him.

[Behind the Aegis]

18. Oh Tristan...

...no one would care.

[AntiFascist]

19. Also, intel indicates placing members of LGBTQI community in prison camps n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

23. Literally, taking a play from a former leader.

Who did nazi this coming?

[manicdem]

11. Would sanctions actually work?

Putin probably thought of that already and consider the invasion worth the sanctions?

[Happy Hoosier]

33. Not unless they are severe and more or less permanent.

After Crimea, the sanctions were not all that harsh, and within a year, the Europeans were backing off. Putin thinks he can weather this. He's probably right.

[BlueIdaho]

14. How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time…

[steve2470]

15. I think this is the announcement in Russian ?

Link to tweet

if not, my apologies

[L. Coyote]

20. Breaking from Psaki: "We have anticipated a move like this ...

Link to tweet

[Happy Hoosier]

34. Not much of a response, really. NT

[L. Coyote]

22. Russian stock market now down over 20%. UK will be announcing new sanctions on Russia.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[marie999]

25. Will be interesting to see what China says about this.

[turbinetree]

26. So did this UN Charter member ask the rest of the world what they thought.....

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

27. How long has Turkey recognize the breakaway part of Cyprus?

IE the part they invaded over 45 years ago.

[dalton99a]

29. Possession is nine-tenths of the law

Putin doesn't give a rat's ass about international law or the U.N. or treaties

[Bayard]

30. This would be like Washington and Alaska

Declaring that they are independent countries, and Canada moving in as, "Peacekeepers".

"The separatist enclaves claim all of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions as their territory, while controlling only about one-third of them." So, Putin can claim the total of both regions.

[Igel]

31. Let's wait to see if the second easy step is done.

The LNR and DNR both claim not just up to the line of control (or engagement) but the totality of the political subdivisions that are the luhans'kyy and donets'kyy oblasti. (Apparently "former" oblasti, haven't kept up with how Ukraine's altered its internal subdivisions.)

As far as they are concerned, areas under Ukraine control are "occupied" LNR and DNR territory.


Of course, the tripwire's set. Let's see if Putin cows Ukraine sufficiently to make it his, um, estrous dog.