Russia/Ukraine: The bully excuse

Ukraine has long enjoyed a nice-guy status in its complex relationship with Russia. The so-called «orange revolution» that finally brought a democratically-elected president to power was directed against Russia’s gross meddling in Ukrainian politics. And it’s true that Putin’s Russia never got over the fact that its smaller southern neighbour would even contemplate getting out of its zone of influence. The Ukrainian government has been deft at using Western sympathies to its advantage. It is tr...