Comment Re:Bombing a city is ok ? (Score 1) 582
I'm no Putin apologist; I was granted political asylum by the USA some decades ago when I fled communist oppression with my family.
That being said, you're oversimplifying a sadly complex situation which I myself don't completely understand. Don't expect a few minutes of reading to clear things up, either. Some things to keep in mind:
- A large ethnically-Russian population has existed in Ukraine for many years, many decades. Most "Russians" in Ukraine are not Russian commandos that snuck across the border in the past year, but instead are normal people who been living happily in Ukraine for their entire lives.
I was referring to Russian citizens, not ethnic Russians. My understanding is the ethnic Russians, though not well disposed towards Kiev, generally want nothing to do with the separatists.
- Most of these ethnically-Russian Ukrainians do identify closely with Russia and feel that their own interests would be best served by a Ukraine that seeks closer ties with Russia, not the EU.
True, this is a question that can be settled through democratic means.
- The local component to this 'seperatist movement' does indeed contain local criminals looking to cash in, but this should not excessively taint the legitimacy of the movement.
I don't think the movement has any legitimacy. Even in Donetsk they could only ever rally a couple thousand out of a city of over a million. The only reason there's a separatist movement is because of the thousands of armed fighters who entered the country.
- Cossacks are not Russians. They're Cossacks. Don't slander them by associating them with the Putin regime.
I was referring to the Russian paramilitary organizations, though was maybe too broad since they're only a portion.
That being said, fuck Putin and the crumbling Russia he rode in on.
I heartily agree.