Tom Hobson: Moscow’s false rationale to save Russian speakers
In justifying the annexation of Crimea, President Vladimir Putin has made many references to the need for Russia to protect the rights of Russian speakers there. This line is now being used as an endorsement of the escalating disturbances in eastern Ukraine. It is based on the premise that "Russian-speaking" is a valid proxy for "ethnic Russian." But the problem is that language does not equal ethnicity.