Society & Politics

Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]

QuestionMan

Part 1 Part 2


Last time I finished off with Ukraine’s history when it comes to its struggle for independence. Now that you know who the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) is, I can get into what Right Sector stands for.


Right Sector is a far right ultranationalist organization that views the soldiers of the UPA as heroes and believes that they must carry on their legacy by freeing Ukraine from Russian influence and not integrating with the EU since they see it as another imperial power that would control Ukraine. Contrary to the belief of Russian media, Right Sector is opposed to Nazism and chauvinism; instead they push for more people to embrace their Ukrainian identity by speaking Ukrainian instead of Russian. Right Sector’s members are not all Ukrainophones or even Ukrainian for that matter. There is a large number of Russophones as well as Jews, Byelorussians and people from other backgrounds.


Now you might be thinking well they sound awesome but the thing is things aren’t always this simple. They were the main force behind the revolution through their fight against the police and capture of government buildings. They also are very hostile to the current government.

Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]


The other fringe political party worth mentioning is Svoboda (Freedom), but these guys are Nazis. I’m not going to lie; the Russian media gets this one right. Although they support the UPA and share some ideology with Right Sector, they also support the Waffen SS and see the regimes of the Nazis and Sovets as a guide.

Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]


Here's their leader, Ukraine's own Hitler knock off Oleh Tyahnybok.


Neither of these groups are popular amongst Ukrainians since they haven’t achieved more than 5% of the popular vote.


The current government is lead by Petro Poroshenko’s party called the Petro Poroshenko Bloc. It is a very progressive government intent on fighting corruption and modernizing/westernizing Ukraine with the final goal being integration into the EU which is something most Ukrainians want.

Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]
Petro Poroshenko (aka chocolate king) Ukrainian president


Crimea


From the very first take people were begging me to write about it. This is a very complex topic which I will try to simplify as best as I can.


Crimea as I mentioned in my first myTake was once an independent country which was latter taken over by the Russian Empire under Catherine the Great. Over the years there’s been a large influx of Russian settlers. At first it wasn’t that much and they never had a majority in Crimea.


Russians only became the majority in Crimea after World War 2 when Stalin deported the ethnic Tatars because he claimed that they collaborated with the Nazis.


For the longest time Crimea remained a part of the Russian Soviet Republic until Nikita Khrushchev decided to transfer it to Ukraine in 1954. The Russian media loves to point out that since Khrushchev was Ukrainian he must’ve done it as a personal gesture to Ukrainians or that it was some drunk mistake (not kidding people actually say that). In reality the transfer was long overdue since the reasons for the transfer included the proximity, and close economic and cultural relations.

Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]


The referendum that took place in Crimea in 2014 was illegitimate for a number of reasons. Firstly if Crimea wanted to be a part of Russia they could’ve voiced their opinions in the two 1991 referendums. The first referendum was for the creation of an independent Ukrainian state which a majority of Ukrainians as well as Crimeans voted in favour.


The second referendum asked if the people of Crimea wanted to become an autonomous region within Ukraine and an overwhelming majority voted yes.


Another referendum was held in Crimea in 1994 to ask the people if they wanted even more autonomy because they had declared independence earlier. Again the people voted overwhelmingly to stay a part of Ukraine.


Secondly, if Russia wanted Crimea back they should have tried to get it back in 1991 but at the time Yeltsin didn’t care so why the sudden push 23 years later?


Thirdly, Russian media over exaggerated the threat of Right Sector and other revolutionaries and created an environment of chaos making people feel that they had no choice but join Russia or they would be under the occupation of the Ukrainian Nazi junta that illegally seized power.


Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]


Stop Fascism! crossed out are UPA, a swastika and Right Sector


Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]


March 16 we decide


Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]


Russian soldiers in Crimea


Finally the voting process itself was controversial. Not only is it illegal under international law but the fact that there was no international oversight, reports of multiple voting, and people abstaining from voting in a predetermined election, makes it difficult to take the referendum seriously as a decision made by rational people.


But then again that’s my view.


Here’s Russia’s, English subtitles are provided but be warned this video is long.


Russia is beginning to realize that it is much more efficient to have Ukraine provide Crimea with gas, electricity and other goods than to have mainland Russia worry about it, but since its Russian territory now not only are people blockading Crimea but they’ve also destroyed the infrastructure needed to provide Crimea with electricity. The Ukrainian government is in no hurry to fix the pylons providing Crimea with electricity.


That’s why Russia is planning on building a bridge that will cost about $4 billion.


Russian soldiers in Eastern Ukraine


The answer to the question “Are Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine?” is both yes and no.


Yes unofficially Putin has sent military advisers, arms, and diplomatic support to the Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine. There are also many volunteers not just former Russian military personnel but foreign nationals fighting on both sides of the conflict. Officially “no there are no Russian regular forces in Ukraine” as stated by Putin.


Russia’s response is that Ukraine is just too ashamed to admit that their military is so weak that they’re losing the war to a bunch of coal miners, shopkeepers, lawyers and other regular citizens. To that my response is that they should watch this video, since the DNR was very disorganized until the Russians came in. Near the end of the video you can see Russian special forces. They were sent in to go after radical elements deemed undesirable for the new Donetsk republic.


Another question people often ask is “Why are Russian soldiers in Ukraine?” the common response is “Putin wants to recreate the Soviet Union”. Honestly that’s a loud of bs. In reality Putin is using Ukraine and Syria as a distraction from the fact that the Russian economy is extremely weak. It’s an old Soviet tactic, when the economy sucks turn people’s attention to something else; specifically something that will build nationalism. Another reason is to show people that Putin will not tolerate a challenge to his rule. Russia faces the same problems of corruption as Ukraine if not worse and Putin wants to show people what happens if people decide to challenge his authority. That’s why he organized an Anti-Maidan rally in Moscow.


EU and NATO integration


In the first myTake in this series I talked about Yanukovich taking the Russian bailout because the requirements for European integration would’ve been impossible to meet. Ukraine now is nowhere closer to joining the EU nor should it. Right now Ukraine has a deal for association with Europe. However EU integration is the final goal, to reach which Ukraine must greatly improve its economy and living standards since these are the biggest concerns at the moment.


Only the naive believe that Ukraine should just join and everything will be great and this is actually Russia’s biggest argument against Ukraine’s self determination.

Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]


As for NATO no Russian leader would tolerate a military alliance that was Moscow’s mortal enemy until recently moving into Ukraine. Nor would any Russian leader stand idly by while the West helped install a government there that was determined to integrate Ukraine into the West.


Russia fears NATO way more than NATO fears Russia since NATO is technologically superior and has a lot more manpower. However, NATO isn't dumb enough to engage in a war with Russia either.


Russian leaders have told their Western counterparts on many occasions that they consider NATO expansion into Georgia and Ukraine unacceptable, along with any effort to turn those countries against Russia; a message that the 2008 Russian-Georgian war made crystal clear.


The solution is a neutral Ukraine that isn’t a puppet of Russia or the West. This way Ukraine also does not threaten Russia and allows the West to repair its relations with Moscow. With that approach, all sides would win.


Conclusion


Although the revolution was most likely a result of Western interference, that does not take away from what it set out to achieve. The right to self determination and a transparent government that serves the people are reasonable demands. However Putin didn’t see it that way and instead blamed imaginary fascists to get the Russian public behind his illegal actions. The use of the Russian propaganda machine also frightened people in Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea into believing in the Ukrainian junta. Now I’m not saying the Ukrainian government is perfect, by declaring elected officials in those regions illegitimate and sending in their own representatives to replace them they helped further the conflict. What was needed was a dialogue between the new government and the incumbent elected officials in those regions instead of forcing their way in. As a result it made the job of Russian propagandists that much easier. The Russian media focused on the radical actions of Right Sector and made it appear as if they were a representation of all Ukrainians even though they were just a loud minority.


With internal corruption still a big problem in Ukraine and the war with Russia in the East it will be a while before Ukraine can prosper.


To the Reader


I hope you liked this myTake series. I didn't expect it to take so long to complete but my obligations in the real world take precedence.


I have provided perspectives from both the Russian and Ukrainian sides and showed you what I consider to be a fair middle ground. If you disagree with me, I'd love to hear your views as long as it isn't ad hominence. I am willing to provide more information on any topic covered in these 3 myTakes, I just had to keep it short in order to fit everything and keep your attention.

Russia and the Ukraine crisis understanding Russia’s perspective [part 3]
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