“The following article in the FT explains why Russia is determined to have direct or indirect control over eastern Ukraine."

David Fuller's view

Thanks, it does explain Russia’s concern but the problem is of its own making.  The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 but Russia assumed that it could always lead Ukraine, its biggest defence contractor, by the nose.  I agree with the concluding sentence:

“…the invasion of Ukraine by Russia to capture production of military equipment would be a very 19^th-century way of looking at a 21^st-century relationship”.  

Here is the FT article supplied.