PRESIDENT Viktor Yanukovych may have lost his grip on power in Kiev but we have yet to see the endgame in Ukraine.

The revolution that appears to have removed Yanukovych could not have happened at a worse time for Moscow coinciding, as it did, with the Winter Olympics.

Russia has spent £30bn on the Winter Games to show the world that it is still a major power and Vladimir Putin is a great leader.

Sending troops to invade Ukraine was not in the script so, to date, the Olympics have stayed President Putin’s hand.

But now they have finished, will Russia stay on the sidelines or send its tanks to stamp out the opposition and keep Ukraine in its pocket?

And even if they do not, could Russia really stand idly by if a new government tears up the agreement allowing the Russian Black Sea fleet to operate from the Sevastopol naval base?

Ukraine is a deeply divided country – the East and South are strongly pro- Russian, but districts in the West want closer ties with the EU. This weekend, they demonstrated their hatred of Communism by toppling statues of Lenin.

Last year, President Putin outflanked the West on Syria, and held on to its pro-Russian dictator Bashar al- Assad, by arguing against military intervention.

Today, the US and Britain are playing the same card.

If democracy does prevail, the West will claim victory. But President Putin will not give up without a fight.

The fight for freedom in Ukraine has only just begun. The West must be careful not to get dragged into a far more dangerous conflict.