Pro-Russian crowds seize 2 Ukrainian warships

[Igel]

15. Putin's got his game on.

He managed to get enough people to buy that, well, we really didn't *know* that the "self-defense" forces were Russian. So it wasn't an invasion.

He know that the Ukrainians won't fight back. Perhaps if it were Russian troops in Russian gear with Russian insignias shots could be fired. Otherwise, put a crowd in their. The Ukrainians won't fire on potential civilians; and the Russians will continue to sell that the Ukrainian troops are weak, unprepared to stand their ground, and can be steamrolled; even as they say that Russians are at great risk from Ukrainians.

Aksenov claimed the ships. All sorts of infrastructure. Nationalized banks. He's allies were the Communist Party, and it's strange how Russia is structured, economically. Most of the oligarchs lost their corporations but are allowed to stay in positions of power. Imagine if all of the important corporatists in the US served, basically, at Obama's--or Bush II's--pleasure. Nationalization would have no terror--because the important, government-supported corporatists that support the Great Leader know that they will, in turn, be supported.

This happened before in Western Europe, and it wasn't one of the shining moments in the West.