Quote Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09 View Post
Now just maybe we in the West will understand the deep deep fear of Putin over the Maidan—his worst nightmare is that the Russian civil society will finally stand up and demand an end to the massive corruption and the pillaging of their natural resources for Putin and his oligarch circle.

Therein lies the real reason for the annexation of Crimea and eastern Ukraine—Putin wants to destroy any further Maidan’s in the former Soviet Union.
My view has shifted to some degree towards a great weighting of the internal logic of Putins quasi-regime compared to other political aspects in Putins foreign policy.