In recent weeks Russia has built up more than 40000 troops in Crimea, while at the same time accusing Ukraine of sending saboteurs into the region with no evidence. Putin has been turning up the heat on Ukraine and even threatening the Baltics!
The timing for these buildups could not be more convenient — The US is in the midsts of political silly season. The Olympics are also on TV worldwide.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign disparaged NATO, softened RNC language concerning giving arms to Ukraine, and proferred Putin as a good guy… someone we should have good relations with.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is sending out the goods on Manafort:
A Ukrainian lawmaker on Friday divulged more details of what he said were payments made to Donald Trump's campaign chief in the U.S. presidential race by the political party of the Kremlin-backed former Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovich.
MP Serhiy Leshchenko said money was allocated for Trump aide Paul Manafort to finance services such as carrying out exit polls at elections, buying computers and conducting research. The largest single payment was $3.5 million.
And the FBI investigation:
The Justice Department and the FBI are conducting a wide-ranging investigation into allegations of corrupt dealings by the government of former Ukrainian president Victor Yanukovych, including the hiring of Washington lobbyists for the regime by former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, a senior law enforcement official confirmed to Yahoo News.
Putin and Trump are both arrogant, narcissistic assholes. I wouldn’t put it past either of them to think that they could bully Ukraine into not releasing this information. Now that the information is out though the optics make Manafort’s resignation look more like another smoking Trumpster Fire.
Was the Trump campaign actively working with a foreign entity to undermine a potential ally in order to further their electoral chances? The fact that I have to ask that says way too much about how dark things have become.
The worst case scenario is that Russia actually invades Ukraine soon. We just don’t know.