The Wall Street Journal quotes Transatlantic Relations Program Nonresident Senior Fellow Adrian Karatnycky on how Ukraine’s recent offensive to retake control of areas in the country’s east has prompted pro-Russian separatists to call on Moscow for help:
While the West has warned Russia it risks more penalties if it doesn’t help stabilize Ukraine’s east, some European countries have voiced reluctance to step up sanctions, given deep trade ties with Moscow.
“Russia’s intention is instability, not occupation or even separation,” said Adrian Karatnycky, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. “So a low-intensity guerrilla war and disruptive occupation of cities is what they aimed for and what they are employing.”