Progressives – most of whom we now call the left – have been strongly in favor of the United States support for Western Ukraine, which has been killing civilians in the Russian-speaking regions of Eastern Ukraine since 2014. That’s quite an astonishing fact of which few people are remotely aware.
The U.S. political rationale for funding the Ukraine War is really a proxy to fight Putin, whom progressives view as a psychopathic monster and threat to humanity. My bet is that fewer than 1% of those who condemn Putin have never bothered, or refuse to examine his accomplishments or credentials.
Putin has a law degree from St. Petersburg State University, specializing in corporate and international law. Additionally, Putin has a Ph.D. in economics. Don’t dismiss these degrees because they were awarded by Russian universities. By comparison, the standard American educational status has slipped below that of the typical Russian. Not to mention, the United States has parenthetically dipped far below China in educational status. In the most recent international comparison- Chinese students far surpassed U.S. students in math, science and basic academia.
While I’m not recommending Putin for canonization, his speeches, though much more long-winded, resemble those of President Kennedy… And his rationale is hardly discordant with that of Jefferson and the great Russian author Tolstoy.
A final point is that pre-Putin, Russia was known for anti-Jewish sentiment. Putin has taken great pains to separate himself from those who preceded him. Both of Putin’s parents had full-time jobs, and his next-door neighbor (who was Jewish) was important in his upbringing. When the woman emigrated to Israel, Putin bought her a lovely apartment in Tel Aviv. Putin also supports a Russian Holocaust museum.
By sharp contrast, in Western Ukraine there is a 20-foot statue of Stepan Bandera that stands in front of four pillars that supposedly represent four hallmarks of Ukrainian society.
There are many other statues of Stepan Bandera, as well as major streets that bear his name. His birthday is celebrated in Western Ukraine as a national holiday. Given the worshipful feeling toward Bandera in Western Ukraine, you’re probably not shocked to learn he was a fervent nationalist who fiercely opposed the Soviet Union in WWII.
However, don’t be fooled. This opposition went hand in hand with fierce attachment to everything that the Nazis stood for. He idolized Hitler and felt that the elimination of non-Aryan races – especially Jews, but also Poles and many others – was critical to Ukraine.
Can anyone rationally explain why the United States is giving $100+ billion dollars in foreign aid to Western Ukraine- a country that to this very day– venerates a man who was a major Nazi supporter? If this isn’t concerning to you, it should be.
Ukraine severed its relationship with the Soviet Union in 1991 and claimed its independence. The first president of the newly founded country of Ukraine was Leonid Kravchuk.
One of the first things Kravchuk did upon taking office was to invite a slew of foreign dignitaries to celebrate a new Ukraine. Kravchuk’s major speech focused on turning over a new leaf, which meant admitting the chilling truth about Ukraine’s involvement in the Holocaust.
Standing near the Babi Yar ravine, where approximately 33,000 Jews were killed and buried over a two-day period, Kravchuk validated that Ukraine was not only complicit in the Holocaust but directly participated in the mass genocide at Babi Yar.
Indeed, Ukrainian nationalists welcomed the Nazis’ arrival in Ukraine. Stepan Bandera just happened to be the leader of the most extreme of the nationalists enclaves.
For about a decade following Kravchuk’s admission, Bandera’s memory was suppressed. Although, in the scheme of things, it didn’t take long before statues and other remembrances of Bandera started to reappear in the early 2000’s. Ironically, at the beginning of the Ukrainian war, Bandera was widely viewed as a national hero.
This gives more meaning to one of Putin’s stated goals – the deNazification of Western Ukraine.
The alarming resurrection of Stepan Bandera to ‘national hero’ status in modern Western Ukraine suggests the United States is by proxy attacking Russia in concert with neo-Nazis.
Folks, this isn’t unsettling- it’s outright disturbing. Have we already forgotten that the United States and Russia were allies in WWII- although relations had been strained prior to the war– set aside our differences to forge a cooperative alliance critical to the defeat of Nazi Germany?
While humanity is indulged in convoluted political schemes, we are living in an upside-down world where the very crux of civilization is utterly dependent upon peace and cooperation. Let’s pray for a sea change… there’s still hope.
