The torchlight march of neo-Nazi militia through Kiev on New Years Day exemplifies why Russian President Putin is demanding written, legally-binding security guarantees from the U.S. and NATO. These forces, which were at the heart of the February 2014 regime change coup, and proudly trace their lineage to Nazi SS collaborator Stepan Bandera, are calling for the liberation of Crimea from Russia, and crushing the movement for autonomy in eastern Ukraine. They represent a threat not only against Russia, but against Ukraine and NATO, as they are engaging in provocations against Russia. As JFK declared in his October 1962 speech announcing a blockade of Cuba against Russian ships, no country can tolerate "in an area well-known to have a special and historic relationship to the United States...a deliberately provocative and unjustified change in the status quo..." The provocations against Russia, using Ukraine as a tool, is what Putin is reacting to today.
