Russia’s Target is Kyiv
Andrey Illarionov: Putin’s aim is to overthrow Ukrainian Government in Kyiv
(Interview extract)

Interview with former economic policy adviser to Putin, Andrei Illarionov on March 1, 2014, currently the President of the Institute for Economic Analysis on Hromadske TV [Public TV] at around 22:00, Kyiv Time
…

Host: Mr. Illarionov, some forecasts you have made before about Putin and the Kremlin having a plan to dismember Ukraine are now coming true. You also made mention of some phases. So what phase are we now and what are your forecasts?

A.Illarionov: The key point in this situation is to understand in the first place that THIS IS A WAR and there can be no illusions about it being otherwise. Therefore, the quality of the current situation differs fundamentally from what it was some several hours ago. It’s a dramatically different and new situation. And a number of urgent decisions on which I will expand below must be taken immediately. But before talking them one should first realize the object of military, diplomatic and propaganda operation that Putin has launched against Ukraine.

Though the main attention is focused оn the Crimean and eastern Ukrainian regions currently,

Putin’s operation’s main target is Kyiv. His main aim is to overthrow the Government in Ukraine.

I call everybody to read attentively the request Putin sent to the Federation Council of the RF (the upper house of the Russian parliament) which requests

Bringing the troops into the territory of Ukraine until (literally) “the political situation in Ukraine returns to normal,”

which – translated into plain Russian or any other language -means:

UNTIL THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT IN UKRAINE IS OVERTHROWN AND REPLACED.

And we should take this as a starting point. Along with this, there are many side, subsidiary and concurrent aims. This is what we have to proceed from…

…

…

RELATED INFORMATION and updates to Illarionov’s position:
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.ca/2014/02/window-on-eurasia-putin-seeks-to.html