Ukraine and Russia

I just saw an interview by Chris Hayes with Nina Kruschevna, a professor at the New School in New York.    She happens to be the granddaughter of Nikita Kruschev who gave Crimea to Ukraine;  but that does not indicate her views on the situation.

She was a delightful guest, highly articulate and knowledgeable.   It is her view that the realignment of Crimea with Russia is "a done deal."   She acknowledges that there is an effective propaganda campaign coming from Russia, along with an overthrow of the Crimean Parliament and installing a new body, which immediately voted unanimously to join Russia and to schedule a referndum for the people to vote on it.

But, she says, in addition to this propaganda, there is strong desire -- perhaps 60% -- in the Crimean people to return to the Russian affiliation.    She further says that they may work out some face-saving cover story so that it nominally remains in Ukraine, but the Russian troops will remain.

She says that the EU and US State Department efforts to declare this a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty are the wrong focus.   They should accept the fact that Crimea is moving toward Russia and work out an arrangement that appeases Putin so that he does not then feel compelled to try to do the same with the rest of the Eastern Ukraine region.

In other words, according to Kruschevna, if Western diplomats try to prevent Putin from drawing Crimea back into his orbit, he may feel forced to foment unrest and destabilization in the rest of the Russian-speaking eastern region of Ukrain, leading to partition of the country.  Better to let Crimea go than to risk that.   She thinks that Putin does not really want the rest because of the serious economic problems.  

But, for Putin, Crimea is the prize.  It is a resort area and it contains the Russian naval base.  It is also a matter of pride since it is historically part of Russia -- and would be still if Kruschev had not given it to Ukraine.

This is a different point of view, a different understanding of where the people of Crimea really stand.   Yes, the demonstrations are whipped up by the Russians;  but they also express the wishes of the majority of Crimeans.

Stay tuned.   Thanks to Chris Hayes for coming up with this guest who is presenting a different view than I've heard otherwise.  She struck me as both knowledgeable and practical.

Ralph