Nikolai Starikov, "Putin's Ukraine Strategy Brilliantly Explained by Top Russian Politician (Video)", Russian Insider (15 June 2015)

I'm including this because I think it gives some interesting counterpoint to mainstream Western narratives about Ukraine and perhaps offers insight into how many people in Russia might be thinking. According to InformationClearingHouse.com, Nikolai Starikov (co-chair of the Great Fatherland Party in Russia) is "a fixture on Russian TV" and "a very popular author and speaker". As such he is likely to reflect (and form) opinion in Russia.

In Starikov's view, it would be against the interests of Russia to recognise the self-proclaimed Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, or to annex those territories. His main concern seems to be that if East Ukraine falls to Kiev, the US would force Ukraine into military conflict with Russia. That, so he argues, leaves Moscow with little choice but to support the anti-Kiev forces.