Unofficial self-defense units comprising so-called Russian "tourists" have also been observed inside Ukraine, in pro-Russian eastern cities like Donetsk and Kharkiv.
This is bad enough as a threat to eastern Ukraine. But consider that China, which denies that Russia's condemned seizure of Crimea has any relevance to China's perfectly natural objectives off their coast, will note the success of Russia's takeover of Crimea with not much more than special forces who organized local sympathizers into a 10,000-man force to lead the takeover effort.
I've long expeced that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would feature Chinese special forces infiltrating Taiwan as tourists before the invasion:
A surprise invasion would be led off by Chinese units unloading from civilian ships in Taiwanese ports and could now be supplemented by chartered flights of softball teams, and bowling teams, and chess teams from China that all seem to be made up of burly young men with short hair.
China may see their claim to Taiwan as way different than Russia's claim on Crimea, and would bristle at any comparisons, but I bet the Chinese are paying close attention to the means Russia used to get their foot in the door during their way-different invasion of Crimea.
