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‘Puppeteer’ Putin Plays Waiting Game In Ukraine
Analyst expects Russian advances if other nations respond to Iraq fight
WND
By Andrew Ireland
WASHINGTON – A top U.S. Defense Department analyst under President Bush says Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to use chaos and turmoil in the Middle East to make further advances in Ukraine and the Baltic states.
But for right now, he appears to be waiting.
In an exclusive interview with WND Michael Maloof, an expert on Middle Eastern affairs and senior staff writer for WND, called Russian President Vladimir Putin “the ultimate puppeteer.”
As Putin is committing Russia to back the al-Maliki regime in Iraq against the rising tide of jihadist radicals, ceasefire orders in Ukraine are breaking down. As a result, Russian advances in those strategic regions are expected.
In Iraq, the radical jihadists in the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, have been sweeping through and conquering northern portions of Iraq. They’ve been executing and destroying as they go through, and are threatening to overthrow the government of Iraq and its neighbors to build a caliphate.
Ukraine, at the same time, has been involved in high level talks with Russia in attempts to calm the turmoil and violence that developed when the region of Crimea declared its independence from Ukraine and was “annexed” by Russia.
Analysts have described that essentially as a power grab by Putin to ensure his access to the Black Sea where many assets, including Russian warships, are.
See the real threat to the U.S., the threat from EMP, described in “A Nation Forsaken.”
Since then, other regions of Ukraine have threatened to break off and much of the country has been marred by violent protests. Further, sizable units of Russian troops have mobilized at Ukraine’s eastern border, causing the new Ukrainian leadership and much of the world to fear further Russian gains.
Reposted with permission
