Given the significant setback events in Kiev represent for Moscow’s strategic ambitions, there can be little surprise about the way Russian President Vladimir Putin has now embarked on a tactic of deliberate sabre-rattling, ominously ordering 150,000 troops and hundreds of tanks and fighter aircraft into a state of “combat readiness” on Ukraine’s doorstep. It remains to be seen how this action plays out, but what is clear is that by making the move, Mr Putin has signalled his refusal to accept the reality of what has happened in Kiev and set out on a dangerous course that could lead to the break-up of Ukraine and what would inevitably be a catastrophic civil war.
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