After the fact...

Putin asking for approval for troops to occupy parts of the Ukraine is just window-dressing after the fact - he's had troops in there for days, with their units insignia and rank badges removed to avoid positive identification - but really, who else could they be? Who did he think he was kidding? He's been riding his horse shirtless in the sun too long I think...

For a long time, this former KGB has been looking for ways and excuses to put the old Soviet Union back together, with or without the approval of the other participants, and this smells like 'Act One' in that play... Putin evidently hasn't learned a goddamned thing from history. He probably can't even spell the word.

I think China and India should divide the Russian Federation between them, and the sooner the better.