Give us back Simferopol

BBC World tries hard but doesn't always succeed.

This morning it continued with its support of Georgia against Russia. The reporter who got into Abkhazia described the "frozen conflict" there as the conflict in the remotest part of Europe which nobody knew and everyone had forgotten. If I wasn't in Georgia myself and knew a bit more about what was going on, then it would be easier to think "let sleeping dogs lie", then.

However, now that Luzhkov is saying "give us back Simferopol" it is really clear what Russia's strategy is in its neighbourhood. This despite all the international agreements covering Russia/ Ukraine borders.

It is obvious that NATO does not allow countries to join if they still have unresolved border conflicts. Especially if they are unresolved with Russia. So Russia has an interest to make sure the conflicts are not resolved and even create new ones, which can be dragged out through international courts if necessary for however long it takes, without any fighting.

So we know what to expect while Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova try to get into Nato.