Simon says: "Reality check!!! Its Georgia that attacked Russia, and Russia has a right to defend its people. " I suppose Poland invaded Germany on September 1, 1939 as well.

Vladimir, Edmonton,

The base is part of Ukraine. Ukraine has a right to make sure it's not used in a way that is harmful to Ukraine. It also has a right not to renew the lease. The Philippines didn't renew the US lease on a base there, and the US left on time & without threats. Putin's separatist allies started this.

Jill, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Trying to start another distraction so they can attack Iran ?

Does the Ukraine wish to loose the Crimea ?

David Ginger, Leicester, England

Now i know why my friends girlfriend (who is Ukrainian) hates Russia so much.

Bryan, Houston, USA

President Bush is all talk. It's amazing how quickly his cowboy swagger disappears when confronted with the possibility of conflict with a first-world nation.

Jake, Detroit, MI, USA

to: Mike, Seattle, USA!

Having your democratic government Afganistan in view years doubled and trippled the production of heroin, which goes directly to Russia and Europe. Way to go democracy!

Alexey, Moscow,

Vierotchka;
You sound like a Kremlin policy wonk dear; shut off the gas pipe and you shut off the money pipe that flows the other way. Without the west's money Vlad the Bad can't keep buying popularity. Wake up and try to understand why others loathe and fear russia. Then try to win hearts +minds

Mark, London, UK

Hi, Derick, New York, USA, you are right. US should go on invading without delay North Korea, Mianma, Cuba and may be China, Vietnam, ect to set up democratic there.

Phong, Hochiminh, Vietnam

Come on people, Reality check!!! Its Georgia that attacked Russia, and Russia has a right to defend its people.

Simon Jones, Manchester, UK

It is amazing how many folks in the west believe what their controlled media spins about Russia and Georgia. The Georgian forces, trained by American and Israeli 'advisors' in the fine art of ethnic cleansing then go and do that in South Ossetia. Western media ignores that event and blames Russia.

Richard, Morganton, USa

but let us remember since then the price of oil is way higher then when it was during the chechen war. russia has a steady stream of income and they have increased there military spending by almost double this year!! russia is a formidable eneamy with nuclear capabilities. us would win but long time

josh, vancouver, canada

Doesn't anyone remember 1938? Hitler treated Czechoslovakia almost exactly how Putin is treating Georgia.

Why do so many people want to blame the victims?

And comparing democratic Georgia with Iraq is just obscene, given Saddam's long history of terror and murder. Any stick to beat Bush...

Gabriel Hanna, Pullman, WA, United States

Watch Russia stir up its Russian minoity in the Ukraine now. As the Chinese say - interesting times ahead.

William Thomson, Guildford, UK

I hope the Ukranians will come to their senses. Russia is no longer what it used to be thanks to Mr. Putin. If I was into a choice to either move to Russia vs US as democratic countries, I would choose Russia as this is a real democracy vs US which right no has become a police state.

Hans, Vancouver, Canada

Vanity and power/oil addiction: Brinkmanship for the heck of it, Cold War re-runs, spite and pique: Kindergarten about to go "nucular". It's what the Republicans wanted all along.

Julia Iskandar, London, England

God forbid Russia and Ukraine engage in fighting. The two are closely tied by over a thousand years of history, religion, culture, language, and intermarriage. But if push comes to shove, Russia will be seen as liberators in eastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula by Ukrainians with common sense

Vladislav, New York, USA

Georgia, acting as a client state for the US a week after nearly 1,000 US military advisors left, shelled the independent area of South Ossetia killing 1,500 civilians and causing 35,000 to flee to Russia. These were Russian citizens. How would the US have reacted if those were dead Americans? nuke?

Thebes, Santa Fe, USA

Russia is showing her true colors any proofing tothe world that she can't be trusted. Putin has proved that he hasn't forgotten anything he learned in the KGB. Putin is the aggressor and bah to anyone deranged enough to try blaming this on Bush.

Dan Shields, Virginia Beach, Virginia

@ Asif, Delhi, India and Benjamin, New York, USA

Surely, setting aside all other potential justifications for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we can all agree that there is a moral difference between invading a dictatorship to establish democracy and invading a democracy to establish dictatorship

Derick, New York, USA

Russia has neither the military or financial capacity to invade Ukraine on a large scale. Russian imperialists forget that Chechnya, a small country in the Caucasus brought the Russians to their knees. Their only option was to bomb the Chechens into submission. Russia, save yourself and go home

Daniel, Adelaide, Australia

The US liberates Iraqi people and Afghan people, and those people have free elections, and the socialists throughout the world condemn Bush and the US.
Russia takes a page from Hitler (remember the Sudetenland annexation?) and is given a pass.
Too many idiots suffer from Bush Derangement Syndrome!

Mike, Seattle, USA

It's Russia's base and they can use it how they want. I'd like to see Ukraine just try and stop them, they'll end up like Georgia and rightly so!

Benjamin, New York, USA

The hypocrisy of the Western 'free' world is laid bare for the world to see.
- It is OK for the US/UK/Israel to attack sovereign countries unprovoked and practice declared regime change
- When Russia does the same - though not entirely unprovoked - then all hell beaks loose in the 'free' world.

Asif, Delhi, India

I can understand Russias apprehsions when so many pro American countries appear to be surrounding its country. Like many other persaons I will be so glad to see the back of Bush and his neocon war mongers. Perhaps then the world will be able to enjoy peace.

John Phillips, kelowna BC, Canada

Cheers to President Yushchenko for standing up to Putin and his thugs.

Anthony, Charleston, WV, USA

Good at least someone is steping forward now the U.S. should too

Greg, Amarillo, USA

All Russia needs to do is to shut-off delivery of the gas that goes through Ukranian pipelines. This will prompt the EU to put pressure on the Ukraine to stop its childish behaviour.

Vierotchka, Geneva, Switzerland