Putin Blinks

~ Clarissa

So. It seems like the punishment he got from the market and the magical words “economic sanctions” have had some effect on Putin. He is now making statements saying that,

1. He has no intention of annexing the Crimea.

2. The armed forces that have occupied the Crimea are not doing it at his behest.

3. He is giving an order to withdraw the Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine (where they have been conducting “scheduled maneuvers.”) Altogether, 150,000 troops, 90 airplanes and 880 tanks were brought by Putin to the border with Ukraine in the recent weeks. If they do withdraw back into Russia, that will definitely be good news.

This withdrawal of troops needs to take place as soon as possible because shots have already been fired by Russian soldiers at Ukrainians at the military base of Belbek occupied by the Russians.

Here is a video that transmits some of the complexity of the conflict in Ukraine. In the video, you can see unarmed Ukrainian soldiers marching with flags and singing the Ukrainian national anthem and being shot at by the bandits who occupied Belbek. They don’t wear a uniform that would allow to identify them but it is obvious from the conversation that everybody knows they are part of the Russian armed forces.

For those who don’t speak Russian, here is what happens. The Ukrainians are stopped by bandits who shoot at them.

“Don’t shoot!” the Ukrainians yell. “America is on our side! And look, we are carrying the Soviet flag! Will you shoot at the Soviet flag?”

It’s true, the Ukrainians are carrying both the national Ukrainian and the Soviet flag.

Here are tweets from an American journalist who witnessed this confrontation.

“Just because of a single politician, we, the military, should be butting heads?” one soldier asks, appealing to the solidarity of the other side.

Let’s hope that the single politician he is referring to does see what’s good for him and finally removes the troops.

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Published by Clarissa

13 thoughts on “Putin Blinks”

    1. The thing is, “ethnic Russians” don’t exist. My husband is defined as an ethnic Russian in his Russian passport but, in reality, between the Byelorus, Polish, Finnish, Lithuanian, and as we now know Ashkenazi, ancestors, nobody really knows who is Russian in the whole mix. Unlike the Russian federation, Ukraine stopped requiring that its citizens be ascribed to a specific ethnic group years ago.

      The following statement is factually untrue: “The Ukraine is a split country. The eastern party is heavily ethnic Russian, while the west is primarily Ukrainian.” This split is a myth created by Putin’s propaganda to help him annex the Eastern region. I and my entire family are from this Eastern part and it isn’t “heavily ethnic” anything. We just don’t think in these terms. The “ethnic” thinking is what the Russian authorities (not to be confused with the people of Russia) do.

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      1. “Compare that map to this map of Ukrainian ethnicity – it is clear that the vote followed ethnic lines, meaning that Ukraine is an ethnically divided state.”

        – This is just egregiously untrue. There are no “ethnic lines.” It is unbelievable how easily people eat up Putin’s fascist ideas. Nobody in Ukraine EVER saw themselves in these unhealthy ethnic terms.

        Thank you for the link! It exemplifies everything I hate about certain approaches to the issue.

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  3. Im curious, why dont any Americans/journalists/politicians speak with individuals, now living in the states, who actually come from that region?

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    1. Well, in the good news section, I’m about to be interviewed for a local radio station on the subject, so at least the local media are making an effort.

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  6. \\ There are no “ethnic lines.” It is unbelievable how easily people eat up Putin’s fascist ideas. Nobody in Ukraine EVER saw themselves in these unhealthy ethnic terms.

    But what is in reality? I know in my childhood were Russian (like Donbass) and Ukrainian speaking parts.

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    1. I’m Russian-speaking but that doesn’t make me ethnically anything. You are Russian-speaking, but not ethnically Russian either, right? Language doesn’t equal ethnicity.

      And being Russian-speaking and pro-Russian are, again, completely different categories. Everybody in my family is a Russian speaker but nobody wants Ukraine to be conquered by Russia.

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