Crimea - Yanuk's last throw of the dice?

Russian political analyst and seasoned Ukraine-watcher, Stanislav Byelkovsky considers the crisis in Crimea may well blow over in a few days time.

In several television interviews he explains the three of the main players in the peninsula are:

The old Crimean elites who have been around almost since Ukraine's declaration of independence, and who until recently have been relatively content with their lot;

New arrivals/Donetsk bandits appointed by Yanukovych that have secured a strong grip in Crimea, grabbing property and businesses, at the expense of the old elites;

and old pro-Russia conservatives, who have always played a relatively significant role there.

Indigenous Tartars, loyal to Kyiv, also play a role.

Yanukovych has appealed to the Donetsk bandits,  whose only hope now is to remain loyal to him, to save him by engineering a crisis in Crimea.

His pal from the old days,  chairman of Crimea’s Council of Ministers, Anatoliy Mohilyov,  today claimed a large group of "unknown" men took control of the government offices. He said no one has been harmed and that all government work had been suspended until the matter is resolved. Byelkovsky quite reasonably suggests these were Mohilyov's own guys acting under their bosses instructions..

Party of Regions have already denounced Yanukovych's "escape, cowardice...betrayal." So, in truth, Yanukovych is almost a political corpse who now has to be totally subservient to mischief-maker Putin in order to survive for any length of time.