By Damon Linker, The Week
The fog of war has already descended on the border separating Russia from Ukraine.
As recently as a day or so, things seemed to be moving in a hopeful direction, with word of Russian troop withdrawals and ongoing negotiations to avoid the outbreak of conflict. But on Thursday, events took their darkest turn yet.
First came confirmation that Russia has merely been repositioning forces, not withdrawing them, and has actually added 7,000 troops in recent days. Then came reports of cross-border shelling in the eastern part of Ukraine, with each side accusing the other of initiating hostilities. This was followed by word that the Russian Federation sent a chilly written response to a document the United States delivered three weeks ago engaging with Moscow’s security demands in the region. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs then released a statement about the response, indicating the U.S. had “ignored” its concerns.
