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Russian aircraft regularly violate the airspace of European countries. Seems you would support shooting them down? I'm all for it but Europe are still believers in peace.
DKM...I have to say right off top, that as much as Russia is posturing lately, it's still acting professionally, including where military is concerned.
So those planes might be annoying, but everyone understand that they are not there to shoot or bomb.
Ukraine on another hand is full of lunatics, so an attempt to blow up that bridge doesn't sound as a far-fetch idea when it comes to that.
I mean one of the captains of those three captured Ukrainian boats is already known as someone pushing ideas of attacking Russians on social media. So of course Russians have to be on their guard.
Number two - he promised to bring Ukraine into EU; not only he failed miserably, and the life of Ukrainians became even harder, but at the same time there is a lot of blood on his hands.
If you think somehow that Putin ( and Russians that support him) are looking for Ukrainian approval in any shape or form - you are wrong, I have to disappoint you.
So no, whatever Putin is doing, he is doing it not from the "soft power" point of view, but from the REAL power standpoint. He is not really seeking the "approval" of Ukrainian population as far as I can see, neither he should.
1) Nobody expected to join the EU in such a time. He achieved the agreement that Yanukovich walked away from sparking the crisis to begin with. This entire thing between Russia and Ukraine is about keeping Ukraine as a colony of Russia, and the EU agreement was a path out. Life of Ukrainians became harder but that's Russia's fault and about 90% of the country knows it. It also stopped getting harder about 2 years ago... Now Ukrainians are able to travel to Europe and they see many more European tourists than ever before. The youth are interested in learning English and being part of Europe more than Russia now. There are many joint projects with European banks/businesses across Ukraine.
2) Putin definitely wants approval from the pro Russian part of Ukraine. His strategy is to create loyalty to him the same thing as loyalty to Russia (this sort of worked). But he's losing it and politicians aligned with him have split up this year.
3) REAL power standpoint causes all Russians to pay for his efforts. And it also makes some Russians mad because they have friends and family in Ukraine (ahem my own included).
Russian aircraft regularly violate the airspace of European countries. Seems you would support shooting them down? I'm all for it but Europe are still believers in peace.
Really? Just when have Russian aircraft violated a European countries air space?
DKM...I have to say right off top, that as much as Russia is posturing lately, it's still acting professionally, including where military is concerned.
So those planes might be annoying, but everyone understand that they are not there to shoot or bomb.
Ukraine on another hand is full of lunatics, so an attempt to blow up that bridge doesn't sound as a far-fetch idea when it comes to that.
I mean one of the captains of those three captured Ukrainian boats is already known as someone pushing ideas of attacking Russians on social media. So of course Russians have to be on their guard.
He always intentionally creates false comparisons by leaving out facts. Craft of any kind are first warned when they are in violation of borders. They are then led away by a military escort as in this case. Only when they refuse to abide is there an attempt to confiscate or disable the vessel and take the crew into custody for a hearing.
Here's another opinion which takes the side of Ukraine with some reservations. Craig Murray often writes about matters involving relations with Russia.
I think the saddest thing is that what is happening is inevitable. If Ukraine wants to build a strong national state, then its actions are explainable and justified. Soviet and Russian must be removed from such a system, otherwise the system will not be able to exist. Some people interfere with doing this, the system is struggling with them. But Russian component is too much in all spheres of life of Ukrainians, so many people suffer. This is very sad. And something is impossible to predict.
Yes it is *inevitable* on one hand, yet on another hand this nationalist state is doomed at its very nascent stage, because this very "Ukrainian identity" enforced across the country is unmistakably WESTERN Ukrainian identity. The South-East of the country which is far more industrialized, never shared this identity. It's foreign to it, no matter how much the attempt is put forward to enforce it. The more I observe the situation, the more I understand how Russian South-East is. Hating Russia ( as some inhabitants of these lands do,) don't turn them in Western Ukrainians. It simply turns them into Russians who hate Russia.
If they TRUELY wanted to succeed with the idea of the nationalist state, they should have dropped South-East to begin with, like a hot potato. THEN they would have had hope at least. But not only they wanted to build a nationalist state, but they wanted to get back at Russia, harboring ill will. And for this purpose they wanted their nationalist state to sprawl all the way to Russian borders. And that was their downfall.
The map with the regions that currently got under the martial law is a tell-tale; it basically circled the area which was historically "Malorossia" ( or "Small Russia") from what I understand. And that's why someone continued the logical line, encircling it, ( like in this picture below,) with the words "Так победимъ" ("And so we shall prevail.")
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Putin must protect interests of citizens of the Russian Federation. He should not look at opinions of other countries and opinions of Ukrainians. Only in this way he can continue to have the support of Russians. "Protecting interests" is a very muddy concept and subject to propaganda, but it is.
I already said that I don't see Putin doing anything differently. He likes to "win Ukrainians" over only that much, when it doesn't' cost him anything and doesn't require any particular effort.
Bwa-ha-ha. "Nobody" who? Your friends? Your relatives? They don't count. Au contraire, the propaganda machine was working 24/7, convincing gullible masses that "signing association" and "joining EU" is practically one and the same thing.
It's not like I watch A. Shariy too often, ( he is a popular Ukrainian blogger) but here he brings this point across rather nicely, keeping old footage of Poroshenko (his now infamous buddy Yatzernuk et al) and all their fairy-tales promoted from TV screens.
And, as I've said, gullible crowds that wanted to believe these exciting lies and to dismiss more sober approach.
The clip is appropriately named "Do you remember the promises made in front of the GREAT MAIDAN?"
He achieved the agreement that Yanukovich walked away from sparking the crisis to begin with.
Because Yanukovich, as responsible person, read the small letters and understood right away what will be required of him, ( i.e. implementing VERY UNPOPULAR economic reforms ( the kind Americans implemented in Russia back in the nineties by the way,) that would unseat him at the end, and refused to participate in this risky business. So Poroshenko didn't "achieve" anything - he simply accepted what Yanukovich refused to do. And we are about to see the results of it all I suspect.
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This entire thing between Russia and Ukraine is about keeping Ukraine as a colony of Russia, and the EU agreement was a path out.
Not "colony," but being dependent on Russian interests ( both economic and military,) which was unpleasant but realistic.
The "EU association" on another hand was exciting but unrealistic - path to nowhere.
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Life of Ukrainians became harder but that's Russia's fault and about 90% of the country knows it.
You mean that's what propaganda told them? That it's all "Russia's fault?"
What was Russia suppose to do? To keep on supplying cheap gas to a country that was openly inviting Russia's enemies with their military bases? Or not to support people in Donbass that were fighting tooth and nail this new hostile regime?
This approach is as unrealistic as that shiny path to EU.
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It also stopped getting harder about 2 years ago... Now Ukrainians are able to travel to Europe and they see many more European tourists than ever before. The youth are interested in learning English and being part of Europe more than Russia now. There are many joint projects with European banks/businesses across Ukraine.
It all sounds nice on a paper, but that's not what I hear takes place in Ukraine.
What I hear from Ukrainians, is "what good this visa-free travel does for me, when I can't afford to pay for the heat in my apartment any longer?"
With other words, if these changes benefitted FEW, that doesn't mean that they benefitted the country in general.
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2) Putin definitely wants approval from the pro Russian part of Ukraine. His strategy is to create loyalty to him the same thing as loyalty to Russia (this sort of worked). But he's losing it and politicians aligned with him have split up this year.
I think that Putin is more realistic than you think. I suspect he realizes that South-East of Ukraine is very socialist in its nature, and he is weary of the "left" in his own country already, not needing additional head-ache.
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3) REAL power standpoint causes all Russians to pay for his efforts. And it also makes some Russians mad because they have friends and family in Ukraine (ahem my own included).
For the most part they don't mind, apart from some members of opposition both from left and right, that criticizes Putin.
Britain wants to seize parts of the Arctic for the oil and gas rights.
That's Russias turf. The icebreakers and ports, infrastructure (growing) and the safety of transiting vessels is the responsibities of Russia and they have shouldered those responsibilities.
The west will try everything possible to hinder, that is to be expected. I don't see where Brits even deserve a voice. Norway, Finland? Yes.
As unpredictable as the Ukrainian junta is I certainly wouldn't give them back.
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