“We, the representatives of the former regions of Ukraine, with the exception of Crimea, declare the establishment of the new state, which is the successor of Ukraine,” [the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Alexander Zakharchenko] said in a statement on the rebel-aligned Donetsk News Agency. “Ukraine has proved to be a failed state and demonstrated a failure to provide its citizens a peaceful and prosperous present and future.”
The Russians deny an collusion with this announcement:
The proposal for Malorossiya was nothing more than a “personal initiative” of the rebel leaders, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russians might wince at that proclamation given that failing to provide citizens a peaceful and prosperous present and future hits a little too close to Moscow for comfort, don't you think?
With those standards, if the West can push Ukraine to suppress corruption, Ukraine could have a claim on Russia if Russia looks more like a failed state, eh?
I'd like to think the CIA had a hand in crafting that statement from the Russian handpuppets. I wonder if a Russian assassination team makes him pay for going off-script?
In related Russian expansionist projects:
Russia has been slowly taking land from neighboring Georgia for years, and Moscow appears to have done it again in early July, moving its borders about 2,300 feet into the former satellite state, according to Yahoo News UK.
On July 3, Russia troops simply picked up a border sign and moved it farther into Georgian territory, Yahoo reported.
Georgia's security agency said the land grab was "illegal," according to The Independent.
I've noted this Russian aggression before.
Perhaps the West can belatedly use the continued land grabs to sanction Russia further and make up for looking the other way in 2008.
UPDATE: Is this Russia's way of opening up a bigger and wider struggle? (Plan C) If so, Ukraine needs to respond with Plan D--Dead Russian soldiers going back to the Motherland.
