This was pretty much my first thought as well. Ukraine is about to get carved up. The Russian speakers are going to go into revolt, and Russia is going to step in to protect them. Once this happens, it is over. The Ukrainian speakers are going to flee, making an even more homogeneously Russian zone.
You might recall that both Georgia and the Ukraine were looking to get into NATO. This exact scenario is why. NATO couldn’t help them with their internal rebellions, but NATO could have provided a shield against Russian soldiers walking across the border and helping the rebels. As it stands, if Russia decides to walk over into Russia, there is exactly nothing the Ukraine can do about it.
