ISU professor watching Ukraine situation closely

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - One of the people watching the Ukraine conflict very closely is Idaho State University Political Science Professor Dr. Colin Johnson.

He did much of his doctorate work in Russia and Ukraine.

He says part of the problem is a difference in the understanding of what is the best future for Ukraine.

"Certainly, when we think about the Ukrainian people much less the Russian people, there is a disconnect," he said. "And we can certainly see a more authoritarian regime in Russia has calculated that this is the best move for them, but it’s taken the Russian people by surprise and certainly when we considered a European continent, not to mention ourselves, it’s something that we had just not considered as an option until really the last few weeks. So this has been a rapidly escalating situation and it has taken everybody by surprise I think."