A final important point: Moscow believes that pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych is still the legitimate President of the Ukraine and that he has been forced from the country as a result of a right wing putsch. While this might sound like a paranoid delusion to many, to me Russia’s fears aren’t unreasonable. Without being an expert in Ukrainian constitutional law, the President is directly elected by the people—not by a baying mob, no matter how large it might be: Article 103 of the Constitution says:
The President of Ukraine is elected by the citizens of Ukraine for a five-year term, on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage, by secret ballot.
It seems that it isn’t legally possible for the Ukrainian parliament to sack and appoint Presidents. So let’s have the rule of law and correct process— but that needs to be followed by everyone, not just Russia.
And the other part that for the U.S., it is none of our business. We may need to contain Russia, but not on this ground.
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