It's also worth noting that despite the article's assurances that these are mere misconceptions, there really was a Western power struggle surrounding the Ukrainian uprising before the Crimean affair.

As much fun it is to bring up the infamous "Fuck the EU" phone leak, there were serious efforts to pave the road for a Ukranian entry into the EU and/or NATO -- a knowing violation the silent agreement to have a post-Soviet buffer zone between the West and Russia.