re: So Russia might have just invaded the Ukraine, kind of

Kind of unusual the way Putin is running this Crimean operation. He seems to have had some kind of Fifth Column paramilitary force ready to spring into action and stage a coup. Who are these camo-clad, masked men, not wearing military insignia?

Our current preferred way of war is with uniformed military units...supported by mercenaries/contractors.

Vlad Putin, however, seems to be outsourcing the whole damn thing to some Russian version of "Blackwater." Who knows what else he has up his sleeve.