Russia’s actions in Ukraine: Parallels with other “hot spots” of the former Soviet Union

The conflict in eastern Ukraine has clear parallels with other “hot spots” in the former Soviet Union, where the Kremlin has ambitions. The clearest parallels are with the Transnistrian conflict on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unlike the rest of Moldova, ethnic Moldovans in Transnistria constitute just 31.9 percent of the district’s population; the ethnic Russians are 30.4 percent and the ethnic Ukrainians—28.8 percent.