Russian President Vladimir Putin is presenting himself as a peacemaker in the Middle East, the go-to arbiter to whom all regional leaders can turn to, secure in the knowledge that he considers incumbency a good thing and regime change bad, analysts say. When it comes to neighboring Ukraine, though, the picture is different.Russian-backed separatist forces have increased attacks in recent days, and Wednesday mounted a heavy bombardment of Ukrainian defensive positions around the port city of Mariupol, according to both the Ukrainian government and independent observers.Pro-Moscow separatists opened fire on Ukrainian forces more than 30 times on October 16, killing …read more
Source:: Voice of America
