In eastern Ukraine's Donbas, Putin draws on an old playbook
CNN
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized separatist republics in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, ordered Russian troops there for "peacekeeping" duty and brought Russia to the precipice of all-out war. Is it time to panic?
Let's first unpack the day's events: Putin built his working day around a clever a bit of political theater, convening a publicly televised meeting of his security council at the Kremlin. Sitting at an almost-comical distance from his top security advisers in a garish, colonnaded hall, Putin listened to arguments in favor of recognizing the Donetsk and Luhansk Republics.
Putin's lieutenants were eager to show their zeal. Sergei Naryshkin, Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, said he supports recognizing the independence of the breakaway republics, but added that he supported their inclusion in the Russian Federation.
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