However, the population there is ethnic Russian and the nutcases on the far western fringe of the country have written about ethnic cleansing Russians and Jews. I think he's likely to be giving a show of strength and telling Svoboda that ethnic cleansing is a very, very bad idea.

Since being bogged down in Afghanistan cost them their empire, I sincerely doubt they want to be bogged down in Ukraine. Hell, they still haven settled the Chechen mess completely.

Sabre rattling and mild trade sanctions should be it unless he escalates it to a big shooting war with the stated aim of annexing the whole Ukraine. Then the rest of the world will have to find ways to tell Putin it's a bad idea.

The void visa and seizing rubble part would be reasonable painful.

7. Freeze assets
8. Sell arms to Urkaine ...

The U.S. really has no real options, short of war and I just don't see it happening.

Seizing assets, voiding visas... that will be painful. A lot of powerful Russians like to send their kids to Western schools.

And I have serious doubts the U.S. economy has the vitality to endure economic warfare.

last time I checked the Ukrainian government wasn't at the beck and call of the USA. "Engage diplomatically with Ukraine and Russia in cooperation with EU partners and encourage a peaceful resolution of issues" is a realistic option; persuading the Ukrainian government to agree to a plebiscite on the status of the Crimea is an option; "give Putin the Crimea" is not an option.

If the US doesn't support the Ukraine and Russia doesn't WANT to give it back, its a done deal.

Obama has got this.

Having Kerry as SoS helps a lot.

The Ukranians will decide how far Russia can go and I get the feeling it won't be far. Russia got its ass handed to it in E. Europe a short while back and they know better than to get themselves in that situation again.

Now, Fukushima? That is some thing to worry about. Did you hare the pollution from that has already been washing ashore in Canada? Yup. And there's more from where that came from.