The war in Ukraine has disappeared from the news, and this might create a mistaken impression that the war is over. That’s not true, however. Ukrainian soldiers are still dying, and even though the fighting is currently more low-key than before, it’s still going on. Here are some of the most recent developments:
1. The terrorists who occupied Donetsk constantly engage in battles of varying degree of intensity among themselves. Shooting and explosions are an almost daily reality in this formerly beautiful Ukrainian city.
2. The Ukrainian parliament had a minute of silence to honor the fallen (both in this war and in the war against Nazism) yesterday. The priests of the Russian Orthodox Church were the only people there who refused to get up and honor the fallen. So now there is a huge scandal. I believe that it’s a much greater scandal that the priests were at the ceremony at all.
3. Russians were planning to roll out during the Victory Day parade their new tank. The tank was hyped up to the skies as evidence of Russia’s military might and technological sophistication. Of course, during the practice for the parade, the tank’s engine died. So the tank had to be carted away in a very embarrassing manner.
4. Putin was very wounded by the tank’s public failure and the symbolism of the whole thing. So he sent a bunch of police to shut down an exhibition of contemporary art. The police beat and then arrested the artists and destroyed the artwork. I saw photos of the art, and it’s very good.
5. There has been an explosion of imagery glorifying Stalin in Russia.
6. In Ukraine, May 8 was celebrated as the day of reconciliation, and there were touching scenes of the elderly veterans of WWII and the fighters for Ukrainian independence back in the 1940s shaking hands and embracing.
7. “This is our victory, too!” tweeted Ukraine ‘ s president Poroshenko today. Let nobody try to take it away from us.”
8. Several terror acts were prevented in Ukraine this week by the country’s secret service.
9. Everybody is waiting to see how Putin will repay the world for the double humiliation of the tank collapsing and nobody but the planetary losers showing up for his parade today.
Clarissa's Blog 
RT’s 70 year “celebration” of World War II includes some footage of various memorials around the world: London, Paris … and Donetsk, where patriotic Russian tanks are rolling …
[only watches RT for “Boom Bu$t”, mostly for one of the presenters, and “The Keiser Report”, because Maxy Baby is cray-zay in a way they usually don’t let near the trading floor, which makes his show grandly hilarious …]
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They are not even trying to be subtle. Russian tanks openly roll around in Donetsk, and Putin cheerfully suggests that these tanks were stolen by “rebels.” He’s not explaining where people can steal several dozen tanks, though.
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“5. There has been an explosion of imagery glorifying Stalin in Russia. ”
Not good–not good at all. I’ve read over the years how this has been happening in Russia. It’s also frustrating because of the lionizing of Putin that has been going on on the Left in the US.
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” I’ve read over the years how this has been happening in Russia.”
Putin sees himself as an heir to Stalin and his achievements.
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The world should look at the past to keep from repeating it. Serbian separatists started WW1 (with help from the major powers). The current situation of appeasement (by Obama of Putin) reminds one of Chamberlain’s treatment of Hitler in Munich. Russia’s political and economic conditions are not too far from those of Germany. Though Putin portrays himself as a socialist, he is really a fascist. Don’t forget that Nazi stands for NSDAP. The National Socialist German Workers Party. Both WW1 and WW2 began in Central/Eastern Europe. The US and NATO should take strong steps to slap Russia down,before the “Evil Empire” again tries to take over all the Warsaw Pact countries. If not I predict that a new World War will begin with a Russian invasion of Poland within five to ten years. An Autocrat is an Autocrat is an Autocrat.
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I agree with everything except for “Putin portrays himself as a socialist.” In terms of the economy, Putin never promoted anything but the extreme neo-Liberal ideas and policies. He’s closer to corporatist religious fascism of the Spain’s Franco regime more than anything.
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