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17-04-2014 Ira, one simple question - was maydan paid for and organised by USA, CIA, UN etc?yes/no? I know your answer is no. Because of course moral, educated people, cream of society came to maydan to protest.... SO, the next question - why do you think East of Ukraine is organised by someone? Simple blunt question - why West overthrows the government, and it is people's will, yet in East - it is Putin? yep, you have NOTHING to say. |
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17-04-2014 I was going to leave it at that, but you do seem like an intelligent person... so, here it goes...re: Russian forces in East of Ukraine. Proof that there is one. in Crimea pro-Russian forces (or perhaps even Russian forces) took over the peninsula in days. Roads, bridges, TV, etc were blocked in an organised manner. Quick and efficient. What's happening in Donetsk for example? One, only one building is occupied. That's local government building in the centre of the city. For two weeks now nothing else is occupied... very professional? NO! airports, roads should be blocked.. but they are not. So why, WHY your Ukrainian TV is lying about Russian invasion?? Get it - people don't want to associate with 'hto ne skache toy moskal'!! with this middle ages stupidity !! How can you , an educate intelligem tperson ACTUALLY support this craziness??????? |
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17-04-2014 >>I'm sorry, but you're just talking pure nonsense.hmm....sorry, it is my fault.. you looked more than just a typical brainwashed maydown... I should not have constructed complicated arguments... so, yeah... so called tzar Putin was elected by people. unlike your current government! Is this also pure nonsence??? |
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17-04-2014
you have construscted no arguments that stand up to scrutiny. you keep being factually incorrect. may as well just go back to talking about my make-up. so, yeah... so called tzar Putin was elected by people. unlike your current government! Is this also pure nonsence??? yes it is. look up the definition of 'interim government' you idiot. and the parliament who appointed this interim government is 100% same as before, it was elected there under Yanukovich. That's why the whole civillized world acknowledged it, unlike with Crimea which Russia turned into a new gray zone like Transdnistria or Abkhazia. Your Putin once eleced democratically is taking away your democracy ever since, just like many other totalitarian leaders. Look, you're the one thinking a protest that gathered hundreds of thousands and up to 1 million and which lasted 3 months, despite the -20C cold and flying bullets was paid off and a bunch of armed gunmen immediately going and seizing the buildings - yes, more than 1, you're yet again factually incorrect - are genuine activists. If that's not idiocy I don't know what is. You're hopeless. |
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17-04-2014 "Are you a nationalist?"I a realist. Now I'll give a more fleshed-out answer. We are territorial primates and naturally divide ourselves into in-groups and out-groups, along various lines ranging from racial to linguistic to religious to coolness. I wish it was different. In point of fact, more diversity decreases social cohesion and the percentage of time people spend socialising, and increases rates of interpersonal violence. I happen to like diversity and variety and so on, but that doesn't change that. At any rate, Crimea has mostly been part of Russia, and if Crimeans would rather be in Russia than the Ukraine, I don't think a dollar of military support should go to Ukraine to contest that fact. If the Russians were sacking Kiev, that would be different. Once the elected leader favoured by Crimeans and many eastern Ukrainians was toppled by force, it isn't surprising that they object to that and wish out of Ukraine, into Russia. Even if I personally would choose to live Ukraine, I'm a realist when it comes to understanding people, including ethnic nationalism. |
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18-04-2014
I will not argue about our nature, it is true. I will only dispute claims about some moral right of Russia in this conflict. When people simply say 'might makes right' - it's hard to argue against it, it de-facto does whether we like it or not. But that's not how the majority of population in any country is being prepared and lead to wars. They're always told it's to protect some abused population or to prevent an imminent aggression. Weapons of mass destruction and such. That needs to be questioned and the true motives revealed and discussed in the open. Ukraine isn't going to fight for Crimea militarily. And to be frank, if the majority there would rather be in Russia, I'd much rather they be a part of Russia. Besides, it's a region that only supported itself by 35%, so let Russia pay for them if they have such a mutual love and understanding. However it's not only ethnic nationalism that's at play. Don't forget they've lived within Ukraine for 20 years and during this time and before ties with mainland have also formed. The thing is Russian TV - which they and people in the East and any Russia-loving citizens watch has been creating an image of the protest as that of a drunk, violent, payed-off by the west, neo-nazi, faschist, 'benderovtsy' coup, and then fear-mongering that these horrible people are going to go and ethnically cleanse Russians in Crimea. So they scared them like that, then armed professionals came and hijacked the parliament building, appointed a new prime-minister - who on the latest parliamentary elections gathered 3-4% of support btw - and then continued dragging military there. It was an occupation of the land and a mockery of a referendum. Did Crimeans really support this all in their majority? We can't say for sure... For a lot of Russian-leaning people it's about their longing for Soviet Union. Homo Soveticus we call them. A person with paternalistic ideology asking 'Where is my stuff? Where is my tzar-protector, where is my apartment from the state, where are the affordable prices, where are good-paying jobs? Politics is not my business.' Btw, quite a telling poll about the current mentality of Russians http://www.tol.org/client/article/24244-lie-to-me.html People in the West and center of Ukraine are asking 'Why do you meddle in my affairs, government? Why do you create obsticles for etrepreneurs? Why aren't you transparent about where my taxes go and how much gov. officials spend? And why the f* do you beat up peaceful protesters sleeping in their tents in the middle of the night?' And yes, it was 100% peaceful in the beginning. It's a clash of two very different approaches to life. European one and the 'Eurasian' one. |
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27-04-2014 continuing the discussion following Lesya Ukrainka's poem:I was actually more taken aback by watching how nationalism brought out the worst out of the pro-russian residents of Donetsk and Sloviansk. watching a mob of pro-russian residents trying to lynch a small group of pro-ukrainian protesters in Donetsk while yelling "get down on your knees" left me once again yearning for a nuclear holocaust. some say that the spotlight is being directed on the crazy minorities on both sides, which give the rest a bad name. while I agree with those who say it, it is important to remember that throughout history, it was usually the crazy minorities who somehow managed to sweep their entire nations into a frenzy of blood and death. I have no idea if the nature of the relationship between Ukrainians and Russians in these regions was friendly before this whole bloody mess, but I do recall a conversation I had with a Croatian friend who had escaped to Holland following the outbreak of the Yugoslav war, and according to her, she had very friendly relations with her Serb neighbours. yet, as soon as national sentiments began to rise, it was as if some "28 days later" style virus had taken over people's minds, and the next thing you know everyone began to act crazy (it could very well be that there was a certain romantization of the past on her part, but nevertheless, I do tend to believe that there's a kernel of truth in her experience. |
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28-04-2014
nationalism brought out the worst out of the pro-russian residents of Donetsk and Sloviansk wasn't a spontaneous mass gathering of residents of those regions. It happenned much like events in Crimea: one day a bunch of armed to their teeth men storm and seize the governmental building, and then some marginal group cheers at that. I think it could be done in many countries where the central government is weakened. they would not have crawled out of the woodwork otherwise because they know they wouldn't get mass support, but with highly trained guys on their side and a weak government - hey, why not? while all the polls show the majority of Ukraine in any region wants to stay within a united country. "get down on your knees" is disgusting, but what was particularly disgusting was this woman beating up an already bleeding guy. she turned out to be a doctor! also a pro-russian activist, seen her in other videos giving interview how she wants to be with Russia because Putin is hot and because in Soviet Union she could afford travelling by air and now she can't. the guy later had to undergo surgery. what's worse, apart from taking hostages (OSCE, journalists, Ukrainian special forces members) the terrorists - i think this is the right word given the hostages and demands in exchange - have tortured and killed 2 men, one of whom was a deputy of the local city council who tried to resist them, the other - 19 year old student from Kyiv. oh, i've had a conversation echoing yours with a Bosnian girl. but as far as i understand they've also had a religious division in their society, we don't, we're overwhelmingly Christian, so the division is being created by lies and propaganda of mythical fascists who will soon come and create mayhem. yes, it's the minorities who create history. but i also don't believe in Bush's doctrine of 'preventive wars' whereby you come and bomb the shit out of the country because there is a crazy minority there. it exists everywhere! and if Ukraine had it's own 'Russia Today' it could have been airing Russian skin-heads and radical religious nationalists marches, too and inviting convinient 'experts' who would be beating the alarm. interestingly, since iternetional observers ignored Crimean referendum, Russia invited their own from other countries and they were overwhelmingly from far-right parties. of course, Putin does not care about far-right, or protecting the interests of Russians (he has plenty of unprotected in his own country), this narrative is just to justify his geopolitical interests in the eyes of the public. Also, as you know, Putin's influence in the world is oil and gas-fueled. Well, as it turns out, Ukraine has Europe's third-largest shale gas reserves at 42 trillion cubic feet (1.2 trillion cubic metres). now, does Putin need pro-Western Ukraine who can present an alternative fuel to Europe? of course not. where are the basins? one in the East - Donetsk region, close to Russian border, where the havoc is breaking. the other - closer to Poland, near Lviv. that's too far (ehem, I hope). so ask your friend for a recipe of fleeing to Holland :P but not from some nationalists who don't have support in the country but from the armed provocateurs and now - murderers, who come from the same source 'little green men' came to Crimea. which Putin first denied and now - admitted were his soldiers. and from the Russian military massing near the border keeping everybody here tense. |
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28-04-2014 wasn't a spontaneous mass gathering of residents of those regions. Oh I certainly agree that it wasn't spontaneous, but like you said, the "little green men" made those crazy people crawl out of the woodwork, and I believe that this in turn triggered a domino effect which caused many russian residents who were initially against the invasion being forced to choose sides (whether because of fear or else) and, unsurprisingly, they chose the russian one. well, at least that's my explanation as to how minorities manage to stir up major events throughout history. but what was particularly disgusting was this woman beating up an already bleeding guy. horrifying... BTW, another anecdote; I've recently spoken to a Ukrainian friend of mine from Donestk who had immigrated to my country about a year ago about the recent events, and she said that as she was watching the "get down on your knees video" she suddenly was horrified to see her dad being among the ukrainian protesters being attacked. not only that, but she actually recognized people with whom she went to highschool with among the attacking pro-russian mob. but as far as i understand they've also had a religious division in their society, we don't, we're overwhelmingly Christian, so the division is being created by lies and propaganda of mythical fascists who will soon come and create mayhem. well, nationalism based conflicts often go hand in hand with religious divisions. once shit hits the fan it's rather hard to separate between the two. It is also worth mentioning that apart from the muslim Bosnians, Croatians are Catholics and Serbs are eastern orthodox, both christian denominations, as I'm sure you are aware. I'm also quite certain that as the situation in Ukraine will worsen, we're bound to see a new rivalry between ukrainian orthodox, russian orthodox and greek catholics, being introduced into this steaming pile of nationalistic dogshit. as for putin...what can i say...common folk serving as chess pieces in politicians' megalomaniac fantasies is as old as civilization itself. |
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28-04-2014
she suddenly was horrified to see her dad being among the ukrainian protesters being attacked. not only that, but she actually recognized people with whom she went to highschool with among the attacking pro-russian mob. well because the pro-ukrainian side is not about nationality, it is simply about saving the country today, not wanting to go Crimean's road. I am a Russian-speaking ethnic Russian myself, but I was born here, this is my country, I don't want it to be under Putin's rule. I'm also quite certain that as the situation in Ukraine will worsen, we're bound to see a new rivalry between ukrainian orthodox, russian orthodox and greek catholics, being introduced into this steaming pile of nationalistic dogshit. I am not so sure about that. Ukrainians are not denomination-crazy, and according to some polls, even though most call themselves believers they only go to church 1 or twice a year for the Easter and such and that's it. Western Ukraine is perhaps more religious, just like Poland is. I can't remember religion being ever brought up on TV, in privateconversations with the accent of 'what branch or denomination'. My friend who moved to Serbia was telling me how surprosed she was that over there, after people meet and introduce themselves, one of their next question is what religion are you and what church u go to. Here it is considered a private matter and a great majority of people think faith is separated from institutions and so it doesn't matter what particular interpretaton of Christianity one is leaning towards. On Euromaindan, there were and still are coming the priests of all churches and they stand there togethere and they say their own speeches and call for unity. This particular division I think will not affect this country. Of course, we have fanatical minorities, but the overwhelming majority of people, I think, will not fight over this. In general, it is a pretty cool country with regards to average people. I have many foreign friends living in Kiev for years: American, Canadian, Jewish, who are visited by Indians and African-Americans, and nobody ever experiences any ill-treatment. politicians' megalomaniac fantasies yep, and also oligarch's assets protecting. That's another dimension to this. They'll threaten to cooperate with Russia and sell the region to it to get the guarantees of safety of their illegally acquired assets. I mean, this country was nothing but a business project for most of the politicians after the breakup of Soviet Union. They stole, sold and privatized watever they could, never paying attention to the state of the army and last president Yanukovch even made sure it was further broken. Our intelligence agencies are full of Russian loyalists, police is to a great extent a bunch of losers who went there to take bribes (because the salary there is ridiculously small, only highly romantic, altruistic people -which i dont think are in abundance in any society- or highly demoralized losers would take that job). Ugh... Without the cooperation of average citizens this country may not survive. |
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29-04-2014 Well, as I've implied, the distinction between nationalism and religion in the former yugoslavia tends to be quite blurry due to historical circumstances.it's difficult to separate, for instance, the serb national identity from serbian orthodox christianity, as it is difficult to separate the croatian one from catholicism. and as for my fears of religious divisions gaining momentum within the ongoing crisis in ukraine, I wouldn't say that they are completely unfounded: click here |
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29-04-2014
Well, we shall see... I just think the part of Ukrainian identity incorporates a more abstract belief in a christian god than that strongly associated with 'brands' of christianity. I mean, some church leader says something - so what? That, I think, may be the reaction of many in Ukraine. Source - Religion, Identity, Postsocialism page 70 If this question was potent to divide Ukrainians I think it would have been spun by politicians before, as the question of Russian/Ukrainian language was before every elections. Yet I've never heard this issue being raised by them. |
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29-04-2014 indeed, nothing can be said with any certainty, plus, you being an actual resident of the country gives your word greater weight over mine so far however, I do believe that history supports my "hunch" that political crisis are a fertile ground for either a renewal of old religious conflicts or the creation of new ones. BTW, have your insights regarding our pro-mortalism discussion been exhausted ? |
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30-04-2014
BTW, have your insights regarding our pro-mortalism discussion been exhausted ? I'm just finding it more difficult right now to think on those topics due to the mayhem and uncertainty in my country. |
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01-05-2014 just read Turchynov's admission that ukrainian forces are indeed "helpless" in combating the pro russians.do you have a plan B in case your worst fears come true ? BTW, Kharkiv's mayor, who was shot recently, is currently hospitalized in my country. |
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01-05-2014
we could see they are useless long before this admission. our worst fears is that there are lots of taitors in this interim government. for example, they shift the blame on a special unit for refusing to go on a mission but it turns out they refused it because it was a 'mission impossible' as they were given orders to conduct the operation without shooting to kill. yeah, i am torn apart by doubts on what to do. i am giving up the current apartment in 3 weeks as it is too luxurious for my declining income which is Ukraine-oriented and Ukrainians are tightening their belts. but whether to look for a cheaper one in Kiev or try to move elsewhere - i'm torn. if i stay i have to pay 2 months in advance and then if shit hits the fan i'm simply losing the money and if i move it's some other country where i don't know anybody and may still have to come back in a few months if my earnings won't allow to rent there. been offered a stay in EU countries but I need a visa there and it's 90 days maximum and even to get that is a problem. so what... a quiet far-away village in Ukraine perhaps? idunno. most my friends and family live in denial. or maybe they are right and it is my pessimism that is blown out of proportions. yep, our politicians often get treatment abroad. that's why they culdn't care less for the state of healthcare back home. or state of anything for that matter. |
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11-05-2014 РџСЂРёРІС–С‚. РҐРѕСЂРѕС?РёР№ блог. Гарна робота. / Hi. Nice blog. Good job. |
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11-05-2014
Дякую. Good job translating Ukrainian media at http://info-news.eu |
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11-05-2014 Thanks. Not only translating but also writing articles in op-ed & history sections. You're welcome to read them, maybe you'll find something interestinf for you. |
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