Stupid question, I know: Why shouldn't Ukraine split in two?

[MineralMan]

96. It depends on whose perspective you're thinking of.

The name "Ukraine" means roughly "borderland" in Russian and he other slavic languages, and that's its role for the Russians. It's a buffer, more or less, historically. It buffers Russia from the Black Sea area. That's not so important today as it once was, but that's the origin of the name.

In more recent times, having a warm water port became essential for Russia, along with the former Soviet Union. The Crimean peninsula also was also a logical recreational area for Russians with wealth, given its moderate climate and long coastline.

For Russia, there is no benefit whatever in splitting that region. For Russian, that would simply fragment the area, reducing its value.

For Ukrainians, it's another issue altogether. Ethnic and Linguistic Russians dominate Crimea and are well established in eastern Ukraine. The rest of the country, however, has some rich natural resources to be exploited. The Ethnic Ukrainians have been tired of being exploited for a very long time. They wouldn't mind a split so much, in all likelihood.

So, it's far from a stupid question, Manny. It's just that we aren't players in the game, really. We don't understand the area. We don't have much presence in the area, and we should stay the fuck out of the area. It's not our issue, nor should it be. We can engage in diplomatic conversations about it, but that's the limit of our capabilities in Ukraine. Beyond that, we should not meddle. That's my opinion.