http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304360704579415384007671064?mod=trending_now_4
WSJ
2Mar2014
The Battle for Eastern Ukraine Is Underway
The pro-Russian protesters are bussed-in from Russia, but Putin knows that Kiev's hold on the region is weak.
By Matthew Kaminski
Donetsk, Ukraine
Crimea was the appetizer. The real prize for Vladimir Putin is likely to be eastern Ukraine. Without this vast region of coal mines and factories, the Kremlin strongman won't be able to achieve his goal of either controlling, destabilizing or splitting Ukraine. Otherwise the takeover of the country's southern peninsula hardly seems worth the trouble.
[ . . . ]
he Russian move on the east, beyond Crimea, began Saturday with protests in the industrial centers of Kharkiv, Donetsk and other cities. Television showed squares filled with thousands of Ukraine's ethnic Russians. Fiery speeches were made, local government buildings were stormed and topped with Russian flags, and calls for Moscow's help were issued by little-known local politicians. Right on cue, Russia's parliament accepted Mr. Putin's request to deploy military forces in Ukraine, citing "the threat to the lives of citizens of the Russian Federation." He gave himself the green light to go beyond Crimea.
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