But the former KGB colonel, who mourns the loss of the USSR, tellingly had a mental slip in skipping over how the Soviet Union attempted to destroy Ukrainian nationalism in numerous ways, including the 1932-33 Holodomor.
Other than that, Putin came across as the rogue tyrant that he is, lying about the pretext for invading. There was and is no threat to ethnic Russians. Putin simply became frightened by the prospect of democracy breaking out on his border. He has never respected Ukraine’s sovereignty as an independent nation. So, like the predator that he is, he saw an opportunity to pounce.
He didn’t even have the courage to admit that his invasion of a peninsula with 2.2 million people, known mostly as a seaside tourism destination, had been planned long before. The Kremlin continues to deny the obvious – that at least 16,000 of its troops, hiding behind masks and wearing no insignias, have been on the ground since at least Feb. 27.
Fortunately, however, the invasion has unmasked Putin as someone with whom the West cannot do business and who must be contained. As long as he stays sane enough not to start a shooting war or use nuclear weapons, the U.S. and its European allies must make the Kremlin feel the economic pain. The source of Russian wealth is oil and gas, so anything that the West can do to make democratic countries less dependent on Russian supplies will eventually and inevitably undermine Putin’s rule.
Markets should punish Russian stocks. Consumers should boycott its goods. Investors should pull out. Governments should freeze his assets.
Mercifully, despite Russian provocations, the new Crimean War has been bloodless so far – only warning shots fired in the air. This was the right Ukrainian response to Russia’s aggression. Moreover, Serhiy Aksyonov, the new pro-Kremlin puppet ruler of Crimea, deserves to be charged and tried with treason. His planned referendum asking voters to either give Crimea full autonomy or join with Russia, now scheduled on March 16, is illegal and should not be recognized. There can be no referendum at the point of a bayonet of a foreign invading army.
