>Eastern Ukraine is Russian, and it is where the industry, mines, and
>high technology is. 80% of Ukraine's GDP is in the East.
What's the source?
BTW, the BBC article that I already cited has another interesting piece of information: "Like several other people I have met in Donetsk, she [a young woman working as a hotel receptionist] recalled a comment attributed here to an opposition leader, who allegedly threatened to ring part of eastern Ukraine with barbed wire and set it on fire" (at <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4067267.stm>).
>Ukrainians are perfectly capable of doing this kind of thing themselves.
Probably, but Washington didn't wanna take any chances. Henry Kissinger once said, "I don't see why we have to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people." In this case, the thinking probably goes, "I don't see why we have to stand by and watch our candidate sink or swim on his own when we could be doing all we can to make his victory certain." Besides, assistance cements alliance and creates dependence.
>Actually Russia spent a lot more backing Yan. than the West did Yush.
How much has Moscow spent on Yanukovich? Washington alone is said to have spent around $14 million on Yushchenko (that's the equivalent of a foreign government spending $86 million on a US candidate in a US election). I don't know how much the EU nations have spent on him.
In the meantime, I checked Ukraine's election laws, and it turns out that (like most nations') Ukraine's laws prohibit "foreign corporate bodies" from making campaign contributions (cf. <http://montages.blogspot.com/2004/12/why-progressives-must-not-embrace.html>). With all the talks about electoral frauds in Ukraine in the corporate media, this is one point that has never been brought up. What's interesting is that Stephen Zunes, a leftist, also assumes, as a matter of fact, that it is perfectly all right for foreign governments and NGOs to spend tens of millions of dollars and support their candidates in Ukraine, as long as the money flows from what he considers to be "reputable nongovernmental organizations." -- Yoshie
* Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/> * "Proud of Britain": <http://www.proudofbritain.net/ > and <http://www.proud-of-britain.org.uk/>