Protests currently in Kiev (can be graphic)

[Jeddak]

Basically the president was a corrupt punk ass Russian-leaning crook. The people stormed the "palace" and deposed him by force. The Russians want him reinstated because he was their guy. The Crimea is where Russian Black Sea fleet is based and is home to an ethnic Russian population that amounts to 60% of the entire Crimea population.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26400035

Crimea was Russian until 1960s (since it was taken from the Turks in 1800s), when Khruschev, ethnic Ukrainian, gave it to Ukraine.
Sevastopl to Russian Navy is what Battle of Trafalgar is to Brits, so I can see a war breaking out over it.

News broadcasts in Russia are far different from the West. Russian media reports that new Ukrainian government is hunting down and exterminating families (as in kids and wives) of security personnel that old Ukrainian gov had sent against the protestors. Who knows how much of it is propaganda to give Putin cover and how much independence movement run amok. There has has always been resentment between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian "Bandera" volunteer military fought with Germans against USSR in WW2 and was more ruthless than SS.

Old Ukrainian government was corrupt. Ukraine is really two different countries with Western Ukraine (Western Ukraine was taken from Poland in 1939 by Stalin) and Eastern Ukraine, especially Donetsk/Donbass, Crimea areas heavily populated by ethnic Russians.

Current events remind me of Moldova and Dniester Republic, but on a much larger scale.

 

[Jack Ryan]

 

[GeorgiaHunter]

Crimea was Russian until 1960s (since it was taken from the Turks in 1800s), when Khruschev, ethnic Ukrainian, gave it to Ukraine.
Sevastopl to Russian Navy is what Battle of Trafalgar is to Brits, so I can see a war breaking out over it.

News broadcasts in Russia are far different from the West. Russian media reports that new Ukrainian government is hunting down and exterminating families (as in kids and wives) of security personnel that old Ukrainian gov had sent against the protestors. Who knows how much of it is propaganda to give Putin cover and how much independence movement run amok. There has has always been resentment between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian "Bandera" volunteer military fought with Germans against USSR in WW2 and was more ruthless than SS.

Old Ukrainian government was corrupt. Ukraine is really two different countries with Western Ukraine (Western Ukraine was taken from Poland in 1939 by Stalin) and Eastern Ukraine, especially Donetsk/Donbass, Crimea areas heavily populated by ethnic Russians.

Current events remind me of Moldova and Dniester Republic, but on a much larger scale.

Another thing worth recollection and discussion is the Ukrainian election of 2004. Remember the "Orange Revolution"? The recently ousted president Viktor Yanucovych(evil) ran against Viktor Yuschenko(good) and Yanukovych "won" with many crying voter fraud. Leading up to the election Yuschenko was poisoned with dioxin, with many fingers pointing to the Kremlin and Vlad Putin specifically. Then the Ukrainian Supreme Court nullified the election due to that apparent rampant voter fraud and Yuschenko won! I see that event as indication of either Yanucovych's own corruption or his complicity with Russia.

 

[Laxguy59]

Crimea was Russian until 1960s (since it was taken from the Turks in 1800s), when Khruschev, ethnic Ukrainian, gave it to Ukraine.
Sevastopl to Russian Navy is what Battle of Trafalgar is to Brits, so I can see a war breaking out over it.

News broadcasts in Russia are far different from the West. Russian media reports that new Ukrainian government is hunting down and exterminating families (as in kids and wives) of security personnel that old Ukrainian gov had sent against the protestors. Who knows how much of it is propaganda to give Putin cover and how much independence movement run amok. There has has always been resentment between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian "Bandera" volunteer military fought with Germans against USSR in WW2 and was more ruthless than SS.

Old Ukrainian government was corrupt. Ukraine is really two different countries with Western Ukraine (Western Ukraine was taken from Poland in 1939 by Stalin) and Eastern Ukraine, especially Donetsk/Donbass, Crimea areas heavily populated by ethnic Russians.

Current events remind me of Moldova and Dniester Republic, but on a much larger scale.

You are an invaluable source of Russian info on this forum dude

 

[GodBlessTheUSA]

May I further stir the (political) pot by pointing out that Putin was all "lovey dovey" and didn't try any of this crap with "W"???

Anyone disagree with the current face off(s) in the world? Cowboy vs …."boy"? as POTUS...

Am I wrong….?

I remember SNL or some other "comedic" skit wherein "W" was "scooting' with Putin" anyone else remember that?

 

[Patronus]

While I have no love for Putin, he may well be the white knight in sending military in to protect the people of the Crimea and other ethnic Russians. The "interim" government has already shown a predilection for stamping out, or at least repressing minorities.

New Ukrainian Government bans Tatarian and Russian Language in the Crimea

http://defence.pk/threads/new-ukrai...an-and-russian-language-in-the-crimea.302201/

 

[Jack Ryan]

 

[Jack Ryan]

While I have no love for Putin, he may well be the white knight in sending military in to protect the people of the Crimea and other ethnic Russians.

It just seemed perfect to this here.

 

[Jeddak]

While I have no love for Putin, he may well be the white knight in sending military in to protect the people of the Crimea and other ethnic Russians. The "interim" government has already shown a predilection for stamping out, or at least repressing minorities.



http://defence.pk/threads/new-ukrai...an-and-russian-language-in-the-crimea.302201/

Almost the same thing that Baltic republics did after the fall of the USSR. They stripped citizenship and most rights from 2nd and 3rd generation ethnic Russians. Russians had to pass the citizenship and language tests to become Latvia/Lithuania/Estonia citizens.

 

[Jeddak]

You are an invaluable source of Russian info on this forum dude

Thank you, being a Jewish, German, Russian and Ukranian mongrel I keep up with what is going on in Motherland. And I always liked history. My ancestors stormed the Winter palace and survived Communist labor camps.