Washington Post Headline: Russia begins military exercises in Black Sea and Belarus, stoking fears of preparations for an attack on Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier keeps watch in Pisky, Ukraine, on Feb. 9. (Gaelle Girbes/Getty Images)

**KYIV, Ukraine** — Russian forces on Thursday began 10 days of military exercises with Belarus, and warships arrived at a strategic port on the Black Sea, as Western diplomats seek to avert what they fear could be an invasion after preparations cloaked as training.

A detachment of six ships arrived at the Sevastopol port in Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, capping a 7,000-nautical-mile journey from the Baltic Sea to begin what officials describe as a naval exercise. The Russian landing ships typically are used for unloading troops, vehicles, and materiel onto land. Some took part in Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008.

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**JUST SAYING**

**BY RAUL HERNANDEZ**

The problem with Putin is that Russians have had a taste of capitalism after the Soviet Union fell in 1991 as a result of internal political, economic, and ethnic disintegration along with endless breadlines.

After the Soviet Union fell, millions of people started making money.

If Putin is stupid enough to invade and try to enslave 40-plus million Ukrainians, harsh economic sanctions will kick in.

Body bags of dead Russians will start returning from Ukraine. The televised visual images of the death toll of innocent civilians will result in harsher sanctions, including travel bans.

Investors will stay away or pack up and leave Russia. This will raise unemployment.

Across Russia, old Soviet-style breadlines appear again. This means millions of Russians will take to the streets. The Russian military will shoot these angry protestors. That will trigger outrage among Russian soldiers.

Discontent will rise among the generals who will not be happy ordering troops to kill Russians for Putin.

Worse.

Oligarchs love money more than Putin, and if they can’t make profits to satisfy their insatiable greed, they will be outraged.

What?

No more capitalism for anyone? More breadlines?

Hopefully, the generals and military will pull the plug on the Putin show and start dismantling his gangster oppression and government and warmongering.

It is simply bad for business and bad for the health of any nation.

Putin and his crony thieves will have to give back the billions they have stolen from the Russian ministry. Then, hopefully, Putin and pals might end up in cages in Siberia.