The two countries have had Ann uneasy peace since Russia annexed the Crimea, which used to be a part of the Ukraine….
Russian President Putin has made it clear he wants to regain control over the countries off the old Soviet Union ….
His dances with American President Trump have ended….
Could this be a test of brute strength for Russia after seeing no real response by Trump to the Saudi journalist incident?
A dispute between Ukraine and Russia in which each accuses the other of violating laws of the sea escalated sharply on Sunday when the Ukrainian Navy said the Russian military opened fire on several of its ships, wounding six sailors, and seized the vessels.
The incident in and around the Kerch Strait, a narrow body of water separating the Black and Azov Seas, marked a pivot in the undeclared war, now nearly five years old, between the former members of the Soviet Union.
The Ukrainian military has been fighting two separatist movements in eastern Ukraine that are clearly backed by Moscow, though the Russian government has formally denied any direct military intervention.
That is in contrast to Sunday’s events, which unfolded as a direct confrontation between Russia and Western-backed Ukrainian armed forces at sea.
The episode also threatened to shake up Ukraine’s fragile internal politics….