The military invasion of Ukraine didn’t, on the whole, work for Russia. Save for the Crimean Peninsula and the Donetsk/Lugansk regions – two economically undeveloped and dependent regions, nothing has been gained after months of hostilities. The piss – poor Ukraine and its degraded, almost non-existent army worked a miracle and beat back the seasoned, heavily armed Russian troops.
None of this means, however, that Russia will abandon its goal of destroying Ukraine. A decision has been made to take the road of economic sabotage against Ukraine. The country is on the verge of an economic collapse as it is. Plus, the Americans said that they won’t help out until they see massive economic reforms in Ukraine.
This means that now Ukrainians have to work an even greater miracle. They need to make their economy function. And as improbable as it sounds, in the face of the existential threat they are facing, they just might pull it off.
This might still prove to be the best thing that ever happened to Ukraine. As Comrade Mao used to say, “There is great chaos under heaven: the situation is excellent.”
Clarissa's Blog 
I really hope the Ukrainians can pull it off, not just for their own sakes but for the region (and Russians as well).
I say cut off Donetsk and Lugansk. If the local citizenry is half as passive and infantile as you say (and not taking any side) then there’s no way the region will ever amount to anything. There are rules of triage you don’t waste scarce resources on hopeless cases (harsh but true).
Crimea is another case. If I believed for a second that the “election” were accurate I’d say screw ’em and let them stew in their own juices. But I’m dumb enough to believe the residents had any real choice (and it’s probably beginning to sink in that their future with Russia is going to suck worse than Ukraine ever did).
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Yes, I agree with everything in this comment. This is la hora de la verdad for Ukraine.
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“But I’m dumb enough ”
that should be “not dumb enough”
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That’s exactly how I read it in the original. 🙂
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\\ This means that now Ukrainians have to work an even greater miracle. They need to make their economy function.
Thought about your post after reading:
http://trim-c.livejournal.com/277618.html
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The rumors about the corruption of Poroshenko are extremely exaggerated. i think he is doing a good job in these horrible circumstances. I don’t know who could have done a better one, to be honest. As you know, I had been hoping that a different candidate would win, so I’m not biased in his favor.
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