Mr. Parry now seems to be an apologist for the Russians.

The objective of Putin is obvious; having taken Crimea, he wants to add the Donbass region to Russia. The Separatists are well-armed with Russian equipment, and are the advance element of the move by Putin.
Russian aid has been well-documented by reporters from most media.

The Ukrainian government seems hopeless in attempting to deal with the pro-Russians and the Donetsk and Lugansk regions seem firmly under Separatist control.