Ukraine is recognized as a legitimate government by the international community. They have a right to higher whoever they want to provide security or assist their military as paid contractors. The unrecognized governments in Crimea and eastern separatist are not recognized by anyone other than Russia as being legitimate. China would not even vote for their legitimacy at the UN. The Chechens and Russians who come to Ukraine to "volunteer" are the ones committing international crimes. If an American has been captured by an unrecognized group, he is being held by an entity with no more validity than a drug cartel or terrorist group.
How can a government that overthrew an elected government be considered legit?
Of course, in the day of this lying bunch of bastards, anything goes.
Even if you take the position that the elected Parliament did not follow the proper procedure for impeachment and the replacement of the President after he fled Ukraine and went to Russia, there have been internationally monitored elections since then and the current government is an elected government. The current government has been overwhelmingly supported by Ukrainian voters in three elections when elections for President and Parliament are counted.
It was a coup, pure and simple. Live by the sword, die by the sword. The voting was a farce anyway, only Ukrainian speakers could vote. The Russian speakers are in the East.
You just made that up. Everyone in Ukraine speaks Russian. People who speak only Russian and consider themselves ethnic Russian live all over Ukraine and serve in the Ukrainian Army. The separatist rebels are the ones who had elections that were farces. That is what the foreign journalist and international observers reported. The elections for the government in Kiev got a thumbs up. You are just following the propaganda of Moscow.
You are just following Western propaganda. I utilize neutral sources. Not all Ukrainians speak Russian, especially the younger generation. But, I was using the term Ukrainian speakers to describe the anti-Russians as opposed to the pro-Russians.
For example, I can read Italian and French. This is how the coup by the anti-Russians is viewed in Italy (with google translation):
Il movimento di contestazione (battezzato "Euromaidan") recentemente vissuto dall'Ucraina, è interessante sotto diversi profili. Mostra come un colpo di Stato civile contro un governo democraticamente eletto possa essere fomentato con successo con appoggi stranieri e senza interventi militari. Rivela la flagrante parzialità e la disonestà dei media mainstream occidentali che, con argomenti falsi, sostengono acriticamente l'interventismo occidentale e, con una visione dicotomica della situazione, gratificano gli uni di essere i "buoni" e gli altri "cattivi". Ancor più grave, delinea in contorni, fino a poco fa sfumati, una riesumazione della guerra fredda che credevamo sepolta con la caduta del muro di Berlino. Infine ci offre una anticipazione di ciò che saranno i paesi arabi "primaverizzati", nella misura in cui l'Ucraina ha conosciuto la sua "primavera" nel 2004, primavera comunemente chiamata "rivoluzione arancione"
The protest movement ( called " Euromaidan " ) recently experienced by Ukraine , is interesting in several respects . Shows how a coup against a democratically elected government civilian can be stirred up successfully with foreign support and without military intervention . Reveals the blatant bias and dishonesty of Western mainstream media who , with false arguments , argue uncritically interventionism and Western , with a dichotomous view of the situation , gratify one to be "good " and the other " bad guys " . Even more serious , in outlining the contours , until recently blurred, a revival of the Cold War we believed buried with the fall of the Berlin Wall . Finally gives us a preview of what will be the Arab countries " primaverizzati " , to the extent that Ukraine has met its " Spring " in 2004 , the spring commonly called " orange revolution "