Actually, just one thought. There’s so much talk about how Ukraine has its own language and culture and history and therefore “deserves” to be independent.
To me, this is bollocks.
I speak English and live in an English-speaking country but we’re not part of Britain.
The culture where I am is next to indistinguishable from our nearest neighbor. We were even, for a while, going to be one country with that neighbor. But we’re not, and nobody here or there feels an overwhelming urge to charge in and reunite the two by force.
The point is: you don’t need a distinct language or culture to be a separate nation. You just need a group with a desire for self-determination. Ideally, it’s a big enough group to be an economically viable entity, but that’s a practical side issue. The main point, the principle of the thing, is that a group of people who want to be independent have the same right, and to the same extent, as any other to self-determination.
Ukraine needs no other justification. It’s not something you “deserve.” It’s something you are.
1 Comment To "Thoughts from an ethnic Russian on Ukraine"
#1 Comment By quixote On 27 Feb, 2022 @ 22:11
I’m just floored by the vast unassuming bravery of the Ukrainians. The Russians haven’t captured a single city yet because of the courage of so many. Thinking of the young guy who went to blow up a bridge and himself because it was the only way to slow down the Russian advance. They’re all going to be legends.
The woman with the sunflower seeds.
“I need ammunition, not a ride.”
Zelenskyy has turned out to be a giant. I hope he makes it through this awful time.
The brewery switching over to Molotov cocktails, and the people throwing them from everywhere.
All of them. God, I hope the good live and the bad go back under their rocks for once.
Slava Ukraini!