| Drakrami said: Correct me if I am wrong, my information is from the news I have read and is not extensive. 1. Putin invaded Crimea. Sure, no violence, but you guys put thousands of Russian troops there, this is called invasion. True right? After the invasion, the so called referendum happened. (Basically to cover up or to justify the invasion) 2. Putin is putting unrest in Eastern Ukraine? Logical Reasoning: Why are the rebels in Eastern Ukraine so heavily armed and trained? Why are the rebels risking their own lives to attack Ukrainian soldiers? First of all, I doubt they hated their Ukrainian lives so much that they would risk their lives to overthrow the government? Second of all, if the answer to the previous question is: "yes, they hated their Ukrainian lives that much", then why did they not rebel much earlier? |
1. Crimea. As I understand it wasn't any 'invasion'. Russia legally has a NAVY base in Sevastopol, Crimea, with up to 40 000 soldiers. During the incident it was around 25 000 Russian soldiers on Crimean territory, all according to the contract we had with Ukraine (up to 2017).
Hystorycally Crimea was Russian. (In fact Ukraine as a state started only 1991, before that it was just a part of Russian Empire/USSR). Chruschev moved Crimea from Russia to Ukraine, but that was in the same country (USSR), and thats why nobody really cared about it then. After USSR collapsed drunk Yealtsin forget about Crimea when he signed papers. But they always was in a special autonomy mode.
I was in Crimea in start of 2000, and during my month there (I was in central agriculture parts and in Kertch) I heard Ukraine language only on TV. Everybody was speaking Russian and was Russian people inside.
So when those crazy guys start doing what they do in Kiev, Crimean people just made a decision to finish this farce off. Of course, Russian navy base is also an important in Crimean question. As I know 'Crimean self-defence forces' was real and it was local residents.
2. Donetsk/Lugansk also was never Ukraine regions. It was given to 'Ukraine republic' by Lenin. But in Soviet times it was not important - since it was a single country and people mentalities was very much the same.
After 1991 more and more power in Kiev was in the hands of people from west ukraine, people who hates Russians. And those people know, that in fact Donetsk and Lugansk is still Russian. (The same as I understand L'vov (former Krakov) feels itself Polish but not Russian/Ukraine. )
Russia didn't help 'rebels' in Eastern Ukraine, sadly. If it do - then the 'rebels' will be in Kiev now. Those people just defend their land from people from western Ukraine. If you'll look they not trying to get to central Ukraine, they just don't let maidan idiots on their territory. What would you do if your close neibourghs come to you with tanks and cannons and start shooting around villages and cities?
Weaponry was taken from local police/military. Some of it even was bought from Ukraine Army. On the training - you forgot, that in Russia/Ukraine we didn't have a contract army. More or less all the young man going thru some sort of military training (1 year in Russia now, 2 years - some years ago), so if necessary thay just need some days to remember what they learned before.
And if you'll look closely, its almost no real 'war', its mostly firing between groups of Nazi 'Right Sector' and 'Rebels'.
So thats my view on the situation...
