Ukraine Strikes Back

The Ukraine evicted Russian agitators from some government buildings yesterday. In asserting their sovereignty (and even in upholding order and the rule of law), Ukraine is unfortunately making a strategic blunder, because any force they employ against the separatists will be used by Putin as a provocation to invade and take large swathes of Ukrainian territory (if not the whole of the country). The Ukraine might have made a better decision to simply cut off the access of the occupiers to electricity and running water. By physically retaking the buildings, Ukrainian authorities have provided pictures for Putin to show Russia of ethnic Russians being abused. The Russian people are already inflamed and are committed to protecting their brethren across what most Russians believe is an artificial boundary. Most Westerners have no idea how dangerous Vladimir Putin is or how far Russia is willing to go to reunite what Russians consider to be their territory.