Blast from the Past

Lastly, Moscow's insistence on the parallels between South Ossetia and Kosovo are abusrd if not profane.  

Also, the Kremlin doesn't have "to take" Ukraine, but merely keep NATO, the EU or the US from moving in.  Moscow only has to play up to the most natural and to-date best demonstrated of Ukrainian characteristics: fence sitting, the reluctance to take a stand due to weak leadership as a result of internal division based largely on personal interests.

That was from 2008.