Reflections on the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

It may not be the size of Russia, but in Europe, Ukraine is still a larger country in the region, and as such definitely consists of various regions and cultures that can be very different from each other. So just as there are regions elsewhere in Europe, like the Basque and Catalonia, that feel separate in some ways from the countries they exist within, the same can be said for Ukraine. It’s undeniable that some regions were not entirely happy with the way borders were (re)drawn, and that modern Ukraine has regions where the majority are Russians, not Ukrainians. The Maidan was practically unanimously supported in Western Ukraine, but no much in other parts. Thus the 2014 conflict, and the initial incursions into two Ukrainian “separatist states” as “peacekeepers” is partly a consequence of Euromaidan.

Which doesn't mean I justify Russia's or the West's behaviour then, or now. Both sides were and are wrong in different ways. Both sides have little knowledge of each other, and both sides heavily rely on prejudices, stereotypes and propaganda. The only victims are the innocent Ukrainians and Russians, of which there are both This is a war by the leaders of one country, and not of the peoples who live in either.

Now, before someone goes to correct me, and say that Crimea became part of Ukraine in 1954, yes and no. The borders were changed, but it was a purely symbolic change within the USSR in 1954. It was not meant to mean anything more than, for an analogy, giving someone a key to the city. Crimea becoming Ukrainian in 1954 was as real as the Queen being the head of state in the UK. Symbolic only. At the time, the thought that the USSR might one day be dissolved was unthinkable, and borders between SSRs were largely arbitrary and meaningless.

From Putin’s point of view (whether correct or not) Crimea has always been predominantly Russian, and a Russian state. Ukrainians are not only a minority, but the smallest minority within the region. Apart from the symbolic change in 1954, Crimea has been considered Russian since sometime in the 1700s/1800s (and yes, I’m admitting I can’t remember the exact year, but I know I can Google and find it out should you wish me to).

Again, I’m not saying Putin was right to invade Crimea (he wasn’t), but it was potentially inevitable and preventable. As were the recent “peacekeeping activities” in two further Russian majority regions of the Ukraine. 

What has happened since is wrong on every level, but what happened prior (from 2014 onwards) was still wrong, but in some ways understandable. Again, I am not exonerating Putin, nor suggesting I agree with anything he has done.

Lest it be confused, I am against any illegal and aggressive occupation of one country by another, whether that is Ukraine by Russia, Palestine by Israel, or Armenia by Azerbaijan - to name just three. There are sympathisers for both sides of all those invasions/occupations. Why? Because there is no black and white.

Putin is wrong. Putin is guilty. To assume that he is the only wrong party, and the only guilty party is disingenuous at best. But the guilt of the West in events leading up this is now irrelevant. Putin has gone to war, and that is black and white. The guilt is on him alone for that one, and why should Ukraine have to negotiate to his terms. Quite simply, they shouldn’t.

Nick, the history of Ukraine, and of Crimea, and the relations of these areas with Russia are very complex.

In any case, Crimea is an area with a Russian majority, and occupied by Russia. Whether this is right or not can be debated, but the fact remains that nothing now but a war against Russia can change this state of affairs.

So I don't see how we can think that Crimea should go back to being an integral part of Ukraine.

I have no nationalistic sentiment, and no sympathy for Putin. I'm just saying that Crimea is already Russian. And it is not an occupation like the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, because Crimea has a Russian majority. The Ukrainian wife of one of my best friends agrees that Crimea is Russian.

And I'm talking about a girl whose parents are living now in Kiev, under the Russian bombs.

The Donbass republics have been in revolt for many years and Ukraine in Minsk had signed pacts that guaranteed them semi-independence. You can believe what you want, in a pro-Nato or pro-Putin narrative, but in those regions there was a repression by the Ukraine, which also used the famous neo-Nazi battalions. This was reported by the Western press in recent years, not the Russian press.

So, even in that case, I don't see how you can think, now that Russia has invaded Ukraine starting from the defense of those republics, how these areas can return to Ukraine. Only a supporter of Ukrainian nationalist propaganda can think this: but then Ukraine would become the aggressor who wants to annex land that is no longer its own.