If both sides in Ukraine were merely puppets of Great Power sponsors, the situation would be much less dangerous. Naturally, both the West and the Kremlin have their agendas. But neither side has control of radicals on the ground. The tension rattles Western stock markets, especially in Germany, and discourages talk of tougher sanctions – a plus for Putin. Any Russian intervention would put these back on the agenda. But without tangible pressure from Russian power, Kiev is unlikely to concede the demands of the Donetsk separatists for their own status. So agitators there might push the envelope further than the Kremlin would like.
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