Whatever be the future possible scenario involving the "West and Russia centering the Ukraine crisis, Russia's "annexation" of Crimea - the autonomous region of Ukraine- seems to be irreversible. Even as United States president Barack Obama and his counterparts from the European nations mince no words about the Russian "designs", president Vladimir Putin is in no mood to discuss the inclusion of Crimea under the Russian domain.
Ukraine itself is also convinced that Moscow has dealt its final blow against the sovereignty of "Kiev" authority by taking control of everything in Crimea including the military establishment. Certainly, the "Kremlin" is relishing the development by taking back Crimea into its fold while the "West" has gone all out in lambasting Moscow in the US- European Union (EU) summit in Brussels.
The finale of the Crimea issue clearly demonstrates that geographical proximity and military might play an important role in deciding key matters where strength is a big factor. The "West" is unlikely to mount any military actions against Russia even if the latter commits gross offence since the US - the main military power of the "West" is not capable of launching an effective attack against the opponent from a long distance. It may be possible against Syria, but definitely not against Russia, a major world military power.
Moscow, having suffered a big setback in Ukraine, a former Soviet Union republic, sought to turn the table on the West by "annexing" Crimea, which has largely ethnic Russian population, who are supporters of the Kremlin in the current tussle over Ukraine.
With the fall of the pro-Moscow Kiev government, Crimea showed defiance of the new pro-West authority in the federal government and sided with the Kremlin. This came as a big problem for the new Ukraine government and also for the West, which said Moscow was wrong by encouraging Crimea for the defiance of the Keiv government. But Russia did not stop there and the local parliament was understandably encouraged by Moscow to seek a referendum in Crimea over whether the region would remain with Ukraine or join the Russian federation. The overwhelming majority of the people in Crimea opted to join Russia and Putin signed documents with the pro-Russian Crimean leaders for incorporation of Crimea into Russia.
This development is being described by the West as effective annexation of the region by Moscow. Even though president Barack Obama and other European leaders have called the Russian stance and the referendum as serious violations of the international law, the Kremlin authorities are hardly bothered by such reactions and are working on their own agenda. Evidently, Moscow is concerned with its political and military interest which it considers as more important than the rationale or moral issues, following the changes of leadership and power in Ukraine.
But it would be the height of folly to assume that the Ukraine crisis is over with the annexation of Crimea by Moscow. The Russian population are in existence in several other places in Ukraine and it is understood that Moscow may embark on such ventures like the referendum in the way it had place in Crimea, in other regions where Russian population are in big numbers. Already, the fallen pro-Moscow president of Ukraine, who fled to Russia, has made this demand although the authorities in Kremlin as such have not yet come out with this thought. Russia is also reported to have amassed troops along the eastern border with Ukaraine. This evoked tough words coming from president Obama and other allies against further "provocations" by Moscow against Ukraine.
The West and Russia are engaged in a conflict that is fraught with much wider dangers and it appears that the Ukraine crisis would eventually go much beyond the parameters of the country or the region since all big powers are involved here with big stakes of their own. Admittedly, the latest developments show that things have gone favourably for Moscow with the virtual, cakewalk in taking control of Crimea.
The West has to swallow the bitter pill and it is likely that it would look for opportunity to take on Moscow whenever it emerges. The actions in various forms are unlikely to cause much impact on Russia while several European nations are largely dependent on Moscow for energy supplies. Both sides have their own problem as a fall-out from the Ukraine crisis, but what is logical to assume is that the Kremlin authorities have succeed in winning the second round after losing the first. What is in the store in the future remains to be seen.
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