Some taking shots at predicting where the Russian/Ukraine mess is going...

Mac Slavo at SHTFplan.com is among 'em:

No one at the White House will officially admit it, but we may well be sitting on the cusp of a widespread conflagration. To suggest otherwise is simply naive. The chess game is, without a doubt, in full swing.

I'm not in the camp that sees WWIII just around the corner. At least not yet.

Still, it worries me that Putin knows he and Russia may never get a mushy-squooshy opponent like Obama ever again, and the Obama window is closing. Why not take full advantage?

Meanwhile, I see Russia's ruble has been hit with some devaluations because of recent tensions. Some analysts think this will make Putin pull back. I suspect analysts fail to realize Purtin will make up a lot of this loss when he socks it to Europe next time Europe negotiates a natural gas deal.

I tend to think Europe's economy is at far more risk here than Russia's if  things continue to play out six to eight months forward. Question is, will something trigger a blow up before then?