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"The agreement signed Friday did not explicitly reject money from Russia, but Europe and the United States have been leaning heavily on Kiev to accept that only a Western aid package led by the International Monetary Fund can rescue Ukraine’s economy."
"To this point, however, neither Washington nor Brussels has figured out how exactly to come to the aid of one of the most corrupt and inefficient economies in the world without being dragged into the sinkhole with it."
"American and European officials have indicated that the I.M.F. might be ready to relax conditions that, if imposed on Ukraine’s new government, would only stoke public anger and jeopardize the survival of what is likely to be a very fragile and fractious leadership."
I see. NOW American and E.U officials might be ready to relax conditions, but such offer hasn't been made to Ukrainians when Yanukovich was in power.
You know I'm trying myself to take all that I can from this perch away from all the action. Mr. Putin surprised me here a bit. Interesting that he or representatives kind of were nowhere to be found. You know I think he called up Mr. Y and told him to get the hell out. Just think how many wanted to shoot him. And now I read about everybody going inot his residence and looking at the 'luxury'. Ok but eally he's a lucky man. I can hink of another who fellow who was in the predicamnet he was in and unfortunately got caught and you know the rest...that fellow was Ceausesescu over there in Romania.
Yanukovych has nobody but to blame but himself for basically getting kicked out of office. Police brutality towards the opposition was very counter productive in towards intimidating them into submission. You can only govern like a thug if only the majority of the populace think you are serving their best interests. Clearly there's a lot of animosity many of the citizens of Ukraine has towards Russia because of past history. The government of Putin seems headed towards authoritarianism with its repression of political opposition reinforcing an unfavorable image in the minds of many Ukrainians of Russia . Seeing the video of Puzzy Riot getting beat by whips by police definitely reinforces a negative image of Russia.
Yanukovych has nobody but to blame but himself for basically getting kicked out of office.
Not really. The country was deeply divided to begin with, always on the brink of turmoil, seething with discontent no matter who would come on top - pro-Russian or pro-Western leader alike. So Yanukovitch was damned if he did it and damned if he did not. So I believe him losing power was only a matter of time anyway; if the EU demands for economic reforms were to be met, and he signed the agreement, he would have been kicked out from the office anyway.
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Clearly there's a lot of animosity many of the citizens of Ukraine has towards Russia because of past history.
No doubt about it, particularly if to take in consideration that Western Ukraine was not even part of Russia ( again) until Russia took over it shortly before the Great Patriotic war. And that's the area where OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists ) was born, that sided with Nazi during the war.
Eastern Ukrainians are still making a lot of references to that, and it's not a surprise then that the majority of those who died in Kiev recently during the protests, were the natives of Western Ukraine.
That's the big part of it, plus of course a lot of history is re-written today, particularly when it comes to Golodomor.
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The government of Putin seems headed towards authoritarianism with its repression of political opposition reinforcing an unfavorable image in the minds of many Ukrainians of Russia
Putin's government IS authoritarian government - no doubt about it, but Russians ( unlike the Westerners) don't have a luxury of having democratically-run society, because the West is not under a threat of anyone being involved in its internal affairs, while Russia is. When they look at what's going on in the neighboring Ukraine, that's a good example for them, and that's what helps Putin to hold his grip.
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Seeing the video of Puzzy Riot getting beat by whips by police definitely reinforces a negative image of Russia.
As I've said - there is a reason why Russians prefer for the time being to live with this "negative image" given a choice between that and a failing state that they were in the nineties.
As for Putin trying to "improve his image" globally - good luck with that as far as I'm concerned.
A spade is a spade is a spade.
Not really. The country was deeply divided to begin with, always on the brink of turmoil, seething with discontent no matter who would come on top - pro-Russian or pro-Western leader alike. So Yanukovitch was damned if he did it and damned if he did not. So I believe him losing power was only a matter of time anyway; if the EU demands for economic reforms were to be met, and he signed the agreement, he would have been kicked out from the office anyway.
No doubt about it, particularly if to take in consideration that Western Ukraine was not even part of Russia ( again) until Russia took over it shortly before the Great Patriotic war. And that's the area where OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists ) was born, that sided with Nazi during the war.
Eastern Ukrainians are still making a lot of references to that, and it's not a surprise then that the majority of those who died in Kiev recently during the protests, were the natives of Western Ukraine.
That's the big part of it, plus of course a lot of history is re-written today, particularly when it comes to Golodomor.
Putin's government IS authoritarian government - no doubt about it, but Russians ( unlike the Westerners) don't have a luxury of having democratically-run society, because the West is not under a threat of anyone being involved in its internal affairs, while Russia is. When they look at what's going on in the neighboring Ukraine, that's a good example for them, and that's what helps Putin to hold his grip.
As I've said - there is a reason why Russians prefer for the time being to live with this "negative image" given a choice between that and a failing state that they were in the nineties.
As for Putin trying to "improve his image" globally - good luck with that as far as I'm concerned.
A spade is a spade is a spade.
Seeing the video of Puzzy Riot getting beat by whips by police definitely reinforces a negative image of Russia.
By Cossacks. The image is worse than 10 years ago. We pretend to be a European country with high technologies, but at the same with Cossacks on the streets.
Seeing the video of Puzzy Riot getting beat by whips by police definitely reinforces a negative image of Russia.
They are interested only western journalists. In Russia prefer clever, ironic criticism of the authorities. Solzhenitsyn? Yes, it's interesting. Navalny? Yes, it is sometimes interesting. Modern songs Slepakova or Semenova? Yes, it is a great irony. Silly girls in masks? No, it is puzzling.
What western journalists write is also important. And the girls are quite clever.
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