Putin held a press conference on Tuesday. I have not watched it. Watching either Putin or W make me want to
hurl; W because he was so stupid and Putin because he is so smug. I just want to slap his arrogant little
face. I read part of a translated
transcript and the lies and bullshit just kept coming so I quit. Apparently he said he saw no need for military
force…yet.
Mr Putin had told his
Ukrainian counterpart he had “no chance of being re-elected”. Mr Yanukovich had
no political future, Mr Putin added. Did he sympathise with him? “A person who is head of state has certain
rights and certain duties. The first duty is to implement the will of the
people who elected him . . . You have to analyse if he did that.”
So far it appears Putin has done more to unite Ukraine than
anyone else. Ukrainians of Russian
ethnicity, including my wife, are busy explaining to their relatives what the
truth is as they only get the official state-approved version. Mobile phones and internet are a great help
but simply cannot reach everyone.
A western diplomat argued
that the solidarity created through the Maidan protests among the
anti-Yanukovich, pro-EU forces had now spread more widely. “Moscow has
consolidated even Russian speaking Ukrainians against Russia.”
StopFake.org
is a Ukrainian website
in English as well as russian
The big news today is the leak of a phone call from the
Estonian foreign Minister suggesting that the snipers were actually working for
EuroMaidan politicians. I had said a
couple weeks ago that word had it the same bullets and MO killed police as
protesters. I would love to know which
police were killed by the snipers as several young rookies with no experience
were killed but how I don’t know. I do
not for a minute doubt the doctor who made the bullet call but do doubt the
Estonian Foreign Minister’s conspiracy theory. There were plans of snipers in the documents
found in the offices of Yanukovych security people
This is an excellent essay about what it takes to have a
real democracy. You can read it and see
how your own country measures up. There
is no easy path to democracy
Here's hoping the "no shooting" continues.
ReplyDeleteAl, thanks for the feedback from 'inside' Ukraine. We need to get news from on the ground, news you are providing. I am amazed at the restraint of the Ukrainian people that has led to so little bloodshed. Hoping and praying for the nation to arise stronger.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane and Brian. It is far more complicated than I can easily explain but I try to hit the highlights and keep people from worrying too much. Nobody seems to care what happens to the Ukrainian people so long as "America loses" or "Russia loses".
DeletePolitics is a human condition: there are those who lead and those who want to be led. Like religion it becomes a belief rather than a responsible exercise.
Deletethe Ol'Buzzard
Are you not homesick for Canada about now. This situation looks like it's poised to go to hell in a handbasket, and I hate it that you're there.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Snow but I think we are OK. Crimea is as good as gone. No one dares to do anything to give Russia and excuse to invade the rest of the country or we would be back to 1939 again. And Russia would face another Afghanistan as people would not stop fighting, especially western Ukraine. No one wants that. But Russia will be back. Next move will be the Baltic states.
Delete