re: #182 Aqua Obama

So what now?

I could see the US clearly dicking around with Russia if a Crimean opposition group pops up.

Taking the Crimea might not be such a great deal for Russia if this finally pushes the rest of the country into something like NATO. I’m sure this was in anticipation of something like that.

That’s a distinct possibility; perhaps Putin is reckoning that it’s only a matter of time before Ukraine seeks to join the EU and/or NATO, so if he wants to secure the Sevastopol naval base, he’d better do it ASAP. Russia cares far more about its access to the Sevastopol naval facility than anything else, probably even more than the eastern regions of Ukraine, despite their heavy industry.

But the Sevastopol base? Yeah, I don’t think Putin wants that falling into NATO hands.