The problem in Ukraine is that Putin’s television is convincing the Russian-speaking Ukrainians that the protests are organized and conducted by neo-Nazis in American employ. The goal is to get them terrified to the point where they will act out violently against an imaginary threat.

This has long been Putin’s main argument for why Russia wouldn’t survive without him: unless he is permanently in power, he says, Russia will be torn into pieces by American-paid Neo-Nazis. This line is working well in Russia, and now is being tried in Ukraine.

10 responses to “Situation in Ukraine Still Tense”

  1. J. Otto Pohl Avatar

    Come on the idea of Ukrainians opposed to Russian rule as Neo-Nazis working for the CIA is so 1980s. Can’t they come up with anything new?

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    1. Clarissa Avatar

      Exactly. Putin is replaying the 1980s in more ways than one. Everything he does is eerily 1980s.

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      1. J. Otto Pohl Avatar

        He needs to bring back some 1980s bands like this one.

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        1. Clarissa Avatar

          This is the music of my adolescence. Oh, the memories. . . 🙂

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  2. valter07 Avatar

    Putin’s propaganda is very unoriginal… “Fashists” are everywhere…
    But I am a bit concerned that right-wing nationalists could get too much influence as a result of being the main fighting force responsible for victory over Yanukovich’s gang…
    (and, by the way, me believing they are the main fighting force has nothing to do with Putin’s propaganda, I happen to follow some of their Livejournals)

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    1. Clarissa Avatar

      There are ultra-nationalists in Ukraine but I don’t see how they can become a serious political force. They have no access to resources, no support from the outside, very little support inside the country. A few dead bodies don’t give them enough cred with anybody. The bandits who own Kharkov are a much bigger threat.

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      1. valter07 Avatar

        And yet one of the first post-revolution decisions concerns the use of Russian language… Looks like Quebec-style nation-building…

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  3. el Avatar
    el

    // And yet one of the first post-revolution decisions concerns the use of Russian language…

    How?

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    1. valter07 Avatar

      http://shiropaev.livejournal.com/389292.html
      I am not prepared to discuss if the old law was good or bad, I am just pointing out the fact that they felt necessary to dabble in identity politics immediately after revolution.

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