From (name withheld for personal security)
Dear Post Scripts Readers:
I’ve been in StPetersburg and Moscow for the past two weeks. As for the tragedy being played out in Ukraine, it’s been surprising to find total uniformity of opinion from Russian citizens, including groups of our (name withheld ) alumni. This is not due to “controlled media,” since all I’ve spoken with check a multitude of media sources daily on Internet, including CNN. Their ages range from 25 to 55 years, generally they are the builders of Russia’s middle class. It is not long-term support for Putin, because at least half of them weren’t supporters of Putin previously. But today the situation has changed.
Crimea:
They are adamant that Crimea has always been Russian; that Russia fought battles to keep Crimea in former centuries, and except for a small percentage of Tartars, Crimeans are ethnic Russians–and that Khrushchev turning Crimea over to Ukraine was just a fluke on paper of a discredited Soviet leader trying to impress his birthplace with his power. Many of our alumni vacation in Crimea (it has enviable warm weather), they claim they have never heard any language other than Russian spoken on Crimean streets, further that Crimeans are Russian Orthodox, and feel themselves to be Russian.
I’m told that in 1991 when Yeltsin gave all areas outside of Russia their freedom, that the Crimeans declared themselves independent. Four months later, the bureaucrats in Kiev disagreed, and unfortunately Crimea has remained politically bound to Ukraine since. Our friends remind that as children they went to summer youth camps in Crimea and vacation there routinely as adults. They have always considered Crimea a part of Russia as did the locals. Hence, when it became obvious that Kiev would no longer permit Russian as official language and rapidly began institutionalizing Western Ukrainian culture in Crimea, the locals balked. Our x x x alumni add that Crimeans were grateful and excited to be officially rejoined with Russia.
Is Russia’s Intention to capture former Soviet territories?
Russians were shocked, flabbergasted, that I would even inquire whether Russia’s leadership would try to go into the Baltic countries, Poland or any of the former Soviet Republics. So I re-asked the question …. “What would you do if you saw on TV that Russia intended to move troops into one of these former Republics?” They grew quite agitated that I might feel it even a possibility. They were adamant that under no circumstances would Russia EVER be interested in having any of those countries under its control again. It was absolutely unthinkable to them.
Will Russia take more of Southeastern Ukraine under its control?
Absolutely not, was the speedy answer across the large room. They offered that Russia may help with reconstruction if and when this war comes to an end. But NEVER will Russia annex any of Southeastern Ukraine’s land. They say any information to the contrary is pure propaganda.
Russian/Ukraine history:
Russians have always felt deeply related to Ukrainians — indeed Kiev was the very center of Russia’s history and culture. Everyone I speak with here has close relatives living in Ukraine. The two countries have considered themselves of the same stock (except for far Western Ukraine). Ukraine and Russia remind me of Siamese twins — with main arteries, bone structures, and organs being shared. Cutting, breaking them apart destroys vital flows of manufacturing, trade, other critical infrastructures–in addition to the hearts and souls of the peoples involved with each other for some three hundred years. It’s no wonder that many Ukrainian troops have defected and can’t shoot each other when forced into battle.
Ukraine has never been an independent nation of people welded together by ethnic bonds of its own. Far Western Ukraine, the European section which came under the USSR after WWII (formerly Poles, Austrians, Hungarians, and Germans), is now trying to force the rest of Ukraine, with USA help, to separation with Russia and the joining of Europe. Southeastern Ukrainians, primarily ethnic Russians, refuse to give up their language and culture and be ruled by Western Ukrainians. This is the bottom line.
Western Ukrainians fought with the Nazis against the Soviet Union in WWII, and they have since despised Russia. They of course want to be joined with Europe. I’ve recommended all along that Ukraine be split into two cooperating states. Those who want to join Europe should be allowed, but they should not drag the Russian parts of Ukraine away from their trade and close cultural ties with Russia.
Ukraine, unlike Russia, has had terrible, corrupt leaders since communism imploded in 1991. Oligarchs (and political leaders who catered to Ukraine’s oligarchs) have since run the country into the ground.
Hence ordinary Ukrainians are deeply disappointed and angry that they have not experienced order, stability, or decent economic development as has Russia, Poland, Hungary and the Baltics. Ukraine is a failed state–the war between the West and the East sectors has further devastated the few hopes that remained before the conflict started.
ENTER THE MAJOR POWER:
As far as I can tell a very slender but powerful minority in Washington decided years ago that Ukraine would be the prime place to challenge a future “come back” of Russia as one of several leading powers in the world. Archival material points out that the neoconservatives drew up a plan in 1992 that America had to be ready to take down militarily any country that would compete for its worldwide supremacy. It mentioned Russia which they felt would/could reorganize the union of former USSR republics. This minority gained momentum with both Republicans and Democrats in the Congress and the White House.
As with other countries (Iraq, Iran, Libya, Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria-since 2009) the first operations to accomplish were to demonize said country’s leaders and destabilize these countries with the intention of regime change. It might be justifiable if the situations resulted in better living conditions and opportunities for the peoples of those countries, but unfortunately, none of them have turned out this way. The USA has made drastic foreign policy mistakes in these nations.
Victoria Nuland, the U.S. State Department chief diplomat in charge of Ukraine’s future, admitted our USA taxpayers had put some $5 billion into preparing Ukraine to align with the USA and Europe –and not Russia. This resulted in the Coup overturning the duly elected President. The result is the war that is now tearing Ukraine apart. A ceasefire is being arranged by Putin and Russia is trying to get hundreds of trucks with aid supplies into the war ravaged region.
Russians reiterate continuously that their military is only for defensive purposes, that they will never start a war or a take over another country, but they will defend their borders. With Russia’s tragic history of being invaded by the Mongols, Napoleon, Hitler and others, they are understandably paranoid.
RUSSIA WILL NOT TOLERATE NATO ON THEIR BORDERS:
Justifiably so. Can we imagine what our USA military would do if the Russians (or even the Canadians themselves) were putting missile bases across the Canadian Border a within instant attack/strike distance of Washington, D.C.–or for that matter across the length of Mexico’s border with America.? Or how would France feel if Germany decided to put weapons of mass destruction on their borders? No regional, let alone world power, would accept this without fighting back somehow. Putin has resisted, and Washington acts as if this is unreasonable, unthinkable.?
My opinion is that Russia has shown remarkable restraint and cool headedness, all the while coming up with strikingly elegant solutions to defuse the dramatic situation south of their border.
Watch RT News and BBC World News for `somewhat` reasonably balanced, global, ‘red meat’ news and daily, gruesome pictures. Compare all this with the somewhat incomprehensible, advertisement/politics driven, Left/Right propaganda in our USA Media.
Let us hope and pray that wisdom will rule in Washington, D.C.–that tensions between Ukrainians will be tempered, the shooting will cease with the new Putin plan and a coalition of countries can begin helping all Ukrainians survive the winter.
Name Withheld
From St. Petersburg
September 15, 2014
So are the Russians offline yet? You know Putins new Internet to keep citizens off the worldwide net?
Hmmm, where to begin?
Since this has comes to us in the form of a friendly anonymous letter I was quite interested to read what followed. I found the first portion very interesting but was taken aback when I read, “Archival material points out that the neoconservatives drew up a plan in 1992 that America had to be ready to take down militarily any country that would compete for its worldwide supremacy.”
Archival material? Is this Dewey?
Oh well, moving on…neocon is a term used for people who were once progressive but who moved to the right about the time Ronald Reagan said he didn’t leave the Democrat Party the Democrat Party left him (moved far left). The so-called neocons (new conservatives) also just happen to be Jewish and at times the term been used as an antisemitic slur. So right off the bat my hackles are UP!
Next our guest contributor suggest the (Imperialist) US had designs on Russia: As with other countries (Iraq, Iran, Libya, Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria-since 2009) the first operations to accomplish were to demonize said country’s leaders and destabilize these countries with the intention of regime change.
Could anything be any more from way out in left field?
Once again, moving on our guests says: RUSSIA WILL NOT TOLERATE NATO ON THEIR BORDERS: Justifiably so. Can we imagine what our USA military would do if the Russians (or even the Canadians themselves) were putting missile bases across the Canadian Border a within instant attack/strike distance of Washington, D.C.–or for that matter across the length of Mexico’s border with America.?
I found this interesting since Russia (Putin) has been planning exactly that…or at least posturing to tweek what he sees as a terribly weak, and getting weaker, America.
July 2014 The New American:
And from The Hill
It would seem that Old Pooty Poot DOES have designs on our southern border, and they are not alone!
Is this the kind of flexibility President Obama was referring to just prior to his last election…making America weak so that the fascist, aggressive IMPERIALIST ex-KGB Putin could increase his influence and power (And thus the power of the “emerging polycentric world order”)?
Up next: My opinion is that Russia has shown remarkable restraint and cool headedness, all the while coming up with strikingly elegant solutions to defuse the dramatic situation south of their border.
Elegant propaganda moves maybe.
Forbes
More Russian posturing:
December 2013Reuters
August 7 2014 Inquisitor
Vladimir Putin has raised the bar on his saber rattling by sending Russian bombers to California and Alaska while armed with Russia’s nuclear weapons. Worse, some U.S. defense officials believe these 16 flights are “not just training missions.”
In a related report by The Inquisitr, when Russian tanks invaded Ukraine and Russian bombers buzzed the U.S. coast, the response by Putin was to dismiss the possibility of war as “Russophobia propaganda.” But now some leaders in the U.S. government are claiming that another Cold War 2 has already begun.
Unfortunately, this may be the attitude within the Russian government, as well. Recently, Paul Craig Roberts, former editor of the Wall Street Journal, wrote an article he simply titled as “War Is Coming.” In this article, Roberts noted how even advisers to Putin seem to believe World War 3 is around the corner:
“[T]he Russian response to the extra-legal ruling of a corrupt court in the Netherlands, which had no jurisdiction over the case on which it ruled, awarding $50 billion dollars from the Russian government to shareholders of Yukos, a corrupt entity that was looting Russia and evading taxes, is telling. Asked what Russia would do about the ruling, an advisor to President Putin replied, ‘There is a war coming in Europe.’ Do you really think this ruling matters?”
This would explain why Russian bombers “conducted at least 16 incursions into northwestern U.S. air defense identification zones over the past 10 days.” U.S. fighter jets were scrambled in order to intercept Tu-95 Russian Bear H bombers, Tu-142 Bear F maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and one IL-20 intelligence collection aircraft. According to the Russian Defense Ministry a Russian Tu-95 bomber “is capable of destroying the critical stationary assets of an enemy with cruise missiles, in daytime and nighttime, in any weather and in any part of the globe.”
March 2013 NBC
The U.S. is deploying 14 new ground-based missile interceptors in Alaska to counter renewed nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday.
The new interceptors will be based at Fort Greely, an Army launch site about 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, and are projected to be fully deployed by 2017, Hagel said. The additions will bring the U.S.-based ground interceptor deployment from 30 to 44, including four that are based in California.
That will boost U.S. missile defense capability by 50 percent and “make clear to the world that the United States stands firm against aggression,” he said in a briefing at the Pentagon.
Defense Update
The US is scaling down the European Missile Defense program, by limiting the system’s interceptors against intercontinental ballistic missiles. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced yesterday the increase in the number of Ground Based Interceptors to be positioned in Alaska, and the planned deployment of a second TPY-2 radar to Japan, two immediate steps to better protect the United States of America from potential missile attacks from North Korea and Iran. The cost of these measures, estimated at one billion US$ is expected to come from delaying or cancelling future enhancements of the SM-3 Block II/B, a step which would undoubtedly relieve the tension between Moscow and Washington over the European missile defense issue
March 2014 American Thinker
After the events in Ukraine this past week followed by President Obama’s lackadaisical response at a press conference Saturday and Palin’s original remark that Russia can be seen from “land here in Alaska,” a 2012 article from The Voice of Russia reads a bit more ominously.
Sergei Sayenko writes:
…the purchase of Alaska has been surrounded by numerous rumors and myths. Some say that the US did not pay Russia in full; others insist that Alaska was not sold but was leased for 99 years. There is also a belief that the purchase treaty had been repeatedly violated, so it can be contested these days. The purchase of Alaska once inspired a popular Russian pop-rock band Lyube to compose a humorous song called ‘Don`t be a fool, America, give us Alaska back’. The song reflects Russia`s worries about Alaska, although the text has some historical inaccuracies.
…It must be mentioned, however, that at the time when the deal was signed, many Russians regretted that Alaska was no longer theirs.
…In the 20th century large oil and gas fields worth hundreds of millions of dollars were discovered in Alaska. Since then the region has turned into an actively developing US state with the highest per-capita GDP in the nation.
…Probably, this is why Alaska remains a thorny issue for many Russians, with some people even suggesting taking the territory back. But one can hardly imagine Russia launching a war against the US over Alaska.
Maybe it is far-fetched to imagine Russia going to war with America over Alaska. But the events of the past few weeks in Ukraine with President Putin ultimately in charge of the outcome while our own President has announced cutbacks to the U.S. military budget is alarming.
When the commander-in-chief issues a stern “warning” to Putin on Saturday, and then heads to a Democratic fundraiser, Palin’s astute observation in 2008 over Obama’s lack of concern for Georgia’s independence is not only proven true but depressing as well.
Russia’s “remarkable restraint” is more like the clever advances of a wolf in sheep’s clothing…and our academic possibly more in sympathy with Russia than the US?
Sorry if I stepped on anyone’s toes.
While it was Clinton that first broke the verbal agreement of no NATO on Russia’s Borders and every admin has followed there is a point there.
However Putin is a dictator and no hero. He stole his election as well.
But in the end OIL is the subject
All war = Fossil Fuels. But go back in history and The Russian Oil infrastructure was built for Stalin By Fred Chase Koch.
Any Pro Putin stuff is Anti American Stuff
I do not support NATO on their Borders however the Ukraine should not be Russia’s to take.
The Ukraine has a right to make their own decisions.
Not my decision what another country does.
Putin is a dictator and a monster.
Ukraine joining the EU is not putting nukes on the Border.
Maybe the Tea Party should defect to Their Russian Utopia Take that Caribou Hillbilly Palin with you she is an embarrassment.
P.S.
Be careful what you say about Russia and politics…
Stay away from Fox, and their media lackeys, who are saber rattling and calling for war with Russia and other propaganda…… we need to use only truth
Putin is upset Exxon had to pull out of a huge Arctic drilling deal with Russia. They were drilling for Russian Oil…Sanctions…
Two US jets intercepted 2 Russian Bear long range Bomber fighters, 2 Russian Mig Fighter jets, 2 Russian re-fueler jets, aprox. 55 miles off Alaskan Coast.
Canada also later intercepted these Russian Planes off their coast.
While it is normal to play games in the air we have not seen these types of planes near our airspace which is only 12 nautical miles since the cold war.
Putin is throwing a tantrum. Maybe over Exxon deal and the sanctions?
Will the US respond? Who knows. This was Wed night.
Russia owns RT news and uses it to play with Obama. Two anchors 1 on air have quit because they are becoming more and more Pro Russian propaganda.
Tea Party feeds the enemy how to rattle the US by their anti Obama 24/7 and pro Putin.
Any Pro Putin stuff at this point in time is Anti American
I call that Treason myself.
Dewey, at PS we make free speech available to many people, if it’s topical and offers something of interest and is helpful in seeing various sides of an issue. We try to be liberal when it comes to free speech. I mean that figuratively, because we’ve come to know that most liberals don’t want free speech for anyone but themselves and that’s hardly free speech.
Dewey: “All war = Fossil Fuels. But go back in history and The Russian Oil infrastructure was built for Stalin By Fred Chase Koch.”
Yes it was. So what? The world was at peace after WWI, remember, and the USSR would become our ally during WWII. There was no conspiracy, no evil plot. Just business people doing legal, mutually beneficial business.
Fred C Koch-Wikipedia:
Stalin’s purge didn’t begin until 1936.
Dewey your negative remarks about the Koch family are way off base.
“Maybe the Tea Party should defect to Their Russian Utopia Take that Caribou Hillbilly Palin with you she is an embarrassment.”
Neither the Tea Party nor Palin is interested in Russia, communism or fascism. Your comments have no basis in fact. In fact you often contradict yourself. You are one confused dude. Green fascism is at the bottom of your hatred of the Koch family. Well guess what? The environmental activist cabal is a corrupt controlling and dangerous bunch of fascist liars.
And stop telling people what to do. We are all adults here and quite capable of deciding for ourselves.
Well, I can see how the Rooskies are sore. After all, when the Berlin Wall came down the deal was supposed to be that NATO would not expand into the former Eastern Block countries. Heck, we’d all just be friends…We’d all jus’ git along, as Rodney King said….but that didn’t happen…instead NATO went into Eastern Europe and is now on the Rooskie’s border (in Estonia and Latvia). So how do you expect the Rooskies to react to all this?
bob: “when the Berlin Wall came down the deal was supposed to be that NATO would not expand into the former Eastern Block countries.”
Do you have a reference for this deal? I recall talks about transparency, peace, freedom, more prosperity for the Russian people, and missiles but I don’t recall Nato being in the mix.
Also what do you mean when you say NATO “went in”?