Can someone please explain the crisis between Russia and Ukraine?

On February 22 a fascist coup took place in Kiev. The coupists set up a new govt, ousted the legitimate president (who had reposed any real power) and started imposing power. Some people in various parts of Ukraine (Crimea, eastern Ukraine) didn't agree and decided to protest as they thought the agreements of February 21 were good enough for Ukraine to try to overcome difficulties it is facing now. Instead of proceeding to talks with the coupist govt went over the top and started punitive measures, like putting people into jail (as state prisoners). And Ukrainians had seen numerous US and EU officials keeping visiting Kiev and consulting the opposition leaders and thought the US and EU had been supporting the coupist govt so those people asked Russia to help and support them. Russia promised and said it would send in troops if the coupists killed civilians (what's going to happen now under the 'anti-terrorist operation'). (and this clearly shows the true nature of the coupists). Since then the coupist govt started to prepare the population for war. Ukrainian media have kept announcing war with Russia and planting misinformation about Russia's attacks and tanks rolling on Ukrainian land. It's a kind of war hysteria and the coupist govt keeps accusing Russia of military and physical attacks while they've caught no Russian agent at all. So, those "anti government protesters" are anti-coupist protesters in fact. Ukraine is now requiring Russia to cancel the bill authorizing to send in troops and withdraw Russian troops from a Russian area near the Russian Ukrainian border which Russia is unwilling to do saying it's Russian land and Russia can have its troops there. On the contrary Russia suggests that Ukraine should withdraw Ukrainian troops from the rebelling regions not because they are near the Ru-Uk border but because they are supposed to be used to kill civilian protesters. Ukraine answers it won't because it's their own people and they can do everything they want to its population. On April 17, four parties to the conflict (US, EU, Russia and Ukraine) signed an agreement outlining the steps to solve the situation but Ukraine doesn't want to comply with its obligations under it as Ukraine must disarm all illegal armed groups but the coupist govt doesn't disarm any illegal groups but legalizes them and says 'now, they are not illegal but legal so we needn't disarm them.' This logic seems weird to me but it's seemingly quite OK for the US and EU. Now, Ukraine can be a dangerous place for Russians but Russia is a friendly and safe place for anyone. An American family can easily and safely move to Russia and US tourists keep coming with no risk at all. OK, according to Russian jokes, Obama wouldn't be let in some pay toilets or small private shops but in general US or EU citizens are not at any risk.

the President has not signed the agreement on Ukraine's European integration, after which the far-right, nationalist forces of Ukraine rioted. Be aware that Western Ukraine is oriented to Europe, and East - on Russia. Now the Western part of Ukraine is trying to conquer the East. Americans have nothing to worry if you are not an employee of the White House

http://pastebin.com/K9PSr06U

Before the start of this year, Ukraine had two options. Join a Russian-led Customs Union, which would entail closer ties with Russia to the east, or join the European Union (EU) Agreement, which would entail being close to the Western world (the US, Canada, EU, etc.). Polls showed that an outright majority of Ukrainian people wanted to join the EU Agreement rather than the Russian Customs Union, but there was a strong minority in eastern Ukraine that favored closer ties with Russia. Eastern Ukraine, along with the Crimean Peninsula, are two regions with lots of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine. Eastern Ukraine was industrialized in the Soviet era (when Russia and Ukraine were under one government), and even today that region of Ukraine has close economic ties with Russia. Most people in eastern Ukraine and Crimea speak Russian rather than Ukrainian as their native language. Thus, those peoples are considered more pro-Russian and less pro-EU/pro-West. Western and central Ukraine is geographically closer to EU nations like Poland and Slovakia. Historically, these regions were fiercely anti-Russian, and many Ukrainians from these regions fought the Soviet Union after World War II for an independent Ukrainian Republic. These people today are far more pro-West/pro-EU and far less pro-Russia. Long story short, Ukraine has been pulled by Russian and Western spheres of influence. Anyway, so before the start of this year, Ukrainian Republic was headed by President Viktor Yanukovych, who was quite pro-Russian. He came from an eastern Ukrainian city called Donetsk and represented a party which favored closer ties with Russia. Yanukoych himself wasn't ethnic Ukrainian (he is part-Russian), and didn't even learn the Ukrainian language until his 50s (his own admission). Thus, people in western and central Ukraine, where people are more nationalistic and less about ''brotherhood with Russia'', already held Yanukovych in disfavor. However, Yanukovych was also extremely corrupt, as his own family and business tycoons enriched themselves while he looted government funds for personal profit. Quickly, even eastern Ukrainians (his original support base) grew to hate him and they referred to him as "our national plague". At the end of last year, the EU asked Ukraine's government to sign the Agreement with the EU, so as to put Ukraine on a path to European Union integration and membership. Russia's government, however, wanted to keep Ukraine's markets strictly under Russian influence. If Ukraine became a part of the EU, Russia would lose generous resources from Ukraine's territory. Thus, Russia pressured Yanukovych to say "no" to the EU Agreement and instead join the Russian Customs Union. So when Yanukoyvch said "no", tens of thousands of Ukrainians traveled to the capital in Kyiv and camped out in front of the Square of Independence (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) there in protest. They sat for months in the freezing winter cold, as they wanted Ukraine to be a part of the European Union. For them and for me, Ukraine as a part of the West means less corruption, less graft, liberal democratic standards in line with EU norms, a far higher standard of living, a developing economy, and interconnections with the Western European nations. Under pressure from Russian government, however, Yanukovych decreed that all who protested against him would go to prison for 15 years. This only enraged Ukrainians further, as thousands more took to the Maidan in protest. When things got particularly heated, Yanukovych ordered the dreaded security forces called the Berkut to open fire on the Maidan protesters. More than 100 people there were murdered. They are now referred to by the Ukrainian people as the "Heavenly Hundred" since they gave their lives for a democratic and Western future for Ukraine. To prevent further bloodshed, E.U. and American leaders agreed on a truce of sorts in which Yanukovych would stop firing at protesters and would lead a "unity government" with both his pro-Russian party and the pro-Western opposition. But since Yanukovych had blood on his hands, the protesters refused to leave until Yanukovych resigned. The day after signing that agreement, Yanukovych mysteriously disappeared. It turned out he had fled the country for Russia, his protector! A new Ukrainian government, headed by pro-Western politicians took over to fill this anarchic vacuum. Yanukovych was declared a fugitive for his more in the murders, and when Ukrainian people raided his palace, they found priceless artifacts and paintings. It turned out that Yanukovych had been living better than Muammar Gaddhafi or Saddam Hussein had. Russian leader Vladimir Putin was enraged. Now, the entire Ukrainian government was pro-Western and these people would decisively move Ukraine away from Russia's clutches into the E.U.'s sphere of influence. He ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and staged a sham referendum there amongst Crimea's ethnic Russian-majority populace as to whether Crimea should become a part of Russia. Naturally, the results gave Putin the outcome he desired. Under Russian occupation, the referendum resulted in a 97% vote for joining Russia. The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to condemn the Russian fraudulent referendum as illegal. Currently, the peninsula is internationally recognized as sovereign Ukrainian territory, and the Russian military occupation of Crimea is considered illegal. But Putin did not feel content with seizing just Crimea. He is now financing pro-Russian terrorists in eastern Ukrainian cities like Donetsk, with large ethnic Russian minorities, to also separate from Ukraine and join Russia. The Ukrainian government has resolved not to be as passive as they have been with the Crimean situation, and are sending military personnel to fight the pro-Russian separatist terrorists there. Some of the terrorists have seized government buildings and TV stations, and have hoisted Russian flags on Ukrainian territory. There is a major fear in the international community now that Russia could invade Ukraine and try to carve up the Ukrainian homeland. Specifically Putin may well want to take over eastern and southern Ukraine (where even ethnic Ukrainians have spoken Russian as a first language) and appendage those parts to Russia. If that happens, Ukraine would consider it an act of war.