Russia warns today that any use of force in Eastern Ukraine could lead to civil war in the region. Now that Kiev is doing its best to regain control in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv, Ukrainian troops are attempting to free government buildings in these cities from pro-Russian protestors. Outlawed by the Ukrainian parliament, protesters calling for reunification with Russia are now treated as terrorists. There was a fight in the parliament preceding this legislation, but it went through nonetheless. Russian officials are proposing that Ukraine sets up a federal government so as to recognize the demands for autonomy in Eastern Ukraine, but Kiev rejects such proposals. And so on, and so forth. So far, it is a war of words, but real war appears to be ever closer. And the Russian notion of civil war seems to define the conflict in very precise terms. As far as words go, this is a terrifying one, no doubt. The Russian troops amassed at the border with Ukraine thus offer the only comfort available at this juncture, at least to an innocent observer. In other words, the worse will not happen. Thanks to the war of words, much is clear well in advance.