The Ukrainian situation
. . . ain’t too complex, right?
Putin has referenced Ukrainian nationalists in service of his own political agenda of portraying modern Ukrainians as Nazis. Prior to Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, many Ukrainians viewed Bandera and other freedom fighters in a less favorable light, says Shevel. After, however, she noticed a shift, with these individuals, some of whom fought alongside the Nazis, being called heroes. The Soviets, once held up as liberators from the Nazis, were now the bad guys again.
Rarely independent. Really mostly Russian circa 1900. Constantly unstable over decades and centuries. And, of course, it was the heart of the Pale of Settlement.
Russia has been warning for thirty years about NATO encroachment. Nobody in the West was especially sympathetic. When the victors (US, France, UK) mistreated the vanquished (Germany) after WWI they sowed the seeds of WWII. When the victors (US, NATO) mistreated the vanquished (Russia) after the Cold War they sowed the seeds of the current turmoil. But when Germany went to war again (1939) they lost again. And the outcome of the current turmoil will, likewise, not be good for Russia.
The US is the most dominant imperial power in all of history. Its dominance goes on and on. I don’t see any significant aspirant emerging. The EU is too divided. China is too totalitarian. Russia is on the verge of ruination.
