The "Acute Crisis"

"Canada will contribute observers to an important military observer mission in a co-ordinated effort to better monitor the Russian military intervention in Crimea."
"Our actions with respect to the IEC, the freezing of assets of corrupt Ukrainian officials held in Canada and our involvement in the OSCE mission are further examples of our support for Ukraine and our goal of stabilizing the tense situation in Crimea."
"President [Vladimir] Putin must now immediately withdraw his forces to their bases and refrain from further provocative and dangerous actions."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper

No sooner said than not done.

Eastern Ukraine remains in the throes of tense stand-offs between Ukrainian loyalists and Russian- speaking residents of Ukraine who consider the Crimea to be Russian territory leased to Ukraine, a twist on the Black Sea Port of Sevastopol, an autonomous Ukrainian region where space is leased to Russia to maintain their Black Sea Fleet alongside that of the more modest Ukrainian fleet. Of such simple things are misunderstandings construed from.

Pro-Russian protesters took back the regional government building in Donetsk, where earlier in the day pro-Western Ukrainians had reinstalled the national flag on the roof, and a dozen people were injured in the process in the volatile atmosphere where two opposing mindsets have set into hard and inviolable determination to triumph because right and justice is on each of their sides. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Russia!

Ukrainian soldiers (R) stand guard inside their base blocked by Russian troops in Perevalnoye, near Simferopol, on March 6, 2014. PHOTO: AFP 

NATO has suspended most of its meetings with Russia, and a review of all of its cooperation with Moscow is underway. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's secretary-general, announced NATO's 28 members decided "to intensify our partnership with Ukraine". Which will undoubtedly delight Ukraine, giving it heart and hope for the future. After all, when one is a member of NATO doesn't that formidable military collective guarantee to come to the aid of a threatened member?

And wouldn't that manage to trigger World War III? Damn the devilish details!

The United States has announced support for its other east European allies with joint training with the Polish air force set to proceed. The Pentagon is stepping up American participation in NATO air missions in support of Baltic countries, and a team of 35 observers from the Organization for Security & Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is heading for Kyiv. Canada will be sending two observers to join the mission.

The European Union is working on a revamped aid package to the value of about $15-billion all told in support of the new Kyiv government. Interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk will be pleased to accept the initial $4-billion when Kyiv signs a deal with the International Monetary Fund. Other loans will follow from European investment funds over a seven-year period.Matching, you see, Russia's bribe to snub the EU.

Assets have been frozen of 18 people held responsible for misappropriating state funds in Ukraine, through the European Union. An action already undertaken in Switzerland and Austria. Those on the list have been unnamed publicly but assumed to be officials in the ousted government, or businessmen aligned with them. Names are being withheld in an attempt to prevent anyone from withdrawing funds pre-emptively.

As for sanctions against Russia, EU leaders are divided. Understandably, given close trade ties between Russia and Germany and France, and their dependence on gas and oil imports from Russia. Britain stands to ruinously lose massive investments should there be a complete falling-out. As for Russian President Vladimir Putin, he asserts he is unconcerned over all the untoward and quite unnecessary fuss, since he's done nothing to warrant any of it.

But cocksure proud of it all.