The Patriot Post® · Staging Elections — in Ukraine

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia haven’t quieted down in recent weeks; they’ve merely dropped out of U.S. headlines. But The Washington Post editorial board has the latest: “Russia has taken another significant step toward creating a puppet state inside Ukraine. Over the weekend the Moscow-controlled cities of Donetsk and Luhansk and nearby areas staged ‘elections’ for the leaders of what Russian President Vladi­mir Putin calls Novorossiya. In so doing, they directly violated a Sept. 5 cease-fire agreement for eastern Ukraine that Mr. Putin had endorsed. Having promised to respect Ukrainian sovereignty (not counting Crimea), Russia now supports the renegade election and says the Ukrainian government should negotiate with separatist leaders.” Clearly, Putin understands that Barack Obama is a lame duck, unable and unwilling to stand up to the Russian strongman – especially not when he can’t even appear at campaign rallies with his own party members. Putin’s endgame is simple, the Post says: “Once ‘Novorossiya’ is consolidated, Mr. Putin will have achieved his principal strategic aim in Ukraine. He already has incorporated a sizable piece of Ukraine, the Crimean Peninsula, into Russia.” And Obama will remain a spectator. More…