It is important to mention the facts on the Ukraine crisis. This crisis came about long before the 21st century, but its events now have existed before the quarter century mark of the 21st century. Officially, Putin apologists have no credibility. These apologists say what about NATO and the NED in their actions. The truth is that 2 things can be true. It is wrong for NATO to invade Libya and conduct airstrikes worldwide (the West's Iraqi invasion was wrong as well) along with NED agitating slick actions. Yet, it is also wrong for Putin to initiate an unjust, provocative, and illegal invasion of Ukraine too. Two wrongs don't make a right. That is why I condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine which is about an inter-imperialist conflict among Russia governmental leaders and Western governmental leaders for the resources and influence of Ukraine. The vast majority of Americans, Ukrainians, and Russians reject this Putin invasion and desire a peaceful resolution. The Russian military targeting civilian buildings, killing children, and using other unwarranted tactics have been condemned worldwide. Even in Russia, protesters in Moscow and St. Petersburg have shown their voices in opposition to the Putin regime. Putin is not a progressive hero. Vladimir Putin is a tyrant, a far-right nationalist, and an extremist (who has used policies that harmed democratic rights like the suppression of the freedom of speech and the suppression of the freedom of the press). Years ago in 2014, I wrote about the Ukraine crisis. Now, in 2022, I am better aware about the complexities and nuisance of this crisis. This following work is my official beliefs on this Ukrainian situation forever. This crisis has grown since the dissolution of the Stalinist Soviet Union in 1991. Vladimir Putin (who slams the 1917 Russian Revolution and questions the entire existence of Ukraine via his horrendously nonsensical speech. Putin called Zelensky a Nazi when Zelensky is Jewish. Zelensky's relatives are survivors of the Holocaust) follows reactionary Russian nationalism which is why many far right Americans like Trump and Tucker Carlson have praised Putin. Many far right white nationalists are praising Putin too including members of the Trump administration. Habitual lying from Vladimir Putin is typical of him. Now, it's time to show a chronological look at the Ukrainian crisis. The Ukrainian people have been courageous to fight back against Russian imperialism.
Ukraine is an Eastern European country with a large land. It has a population of about 45 million people. It borders on Russia to the East and other countries of Europe on the West. Russia tried to control Ukraine for centuries. During the ancient times, it was part of Scythia and home to Getae, the Cimmerians, the Dacians, including early Slavic peoples. It was one area that was a site of Indo-European expansion too. Horses were domesticated back thousands of years ago. Much of the Ukrainians came from the ancient Slave people called the Antes. By 1990, there was the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. Putin, in his speech, said that Western leaders gave written and spoken assurances to then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO doesn't plan to increase its territory eastwards. Putin also said that U.S. Secretary State James Baker talked about NATO back then didn't desire to spread eastward. According to Mark Karmer in the 2009 article in The Washington Quarterly, he found declassified American, German, and Soviet records. Kramer made the case that in discussions on German reunification, the Soviets never raised the question of NATO enlargement other than how it might apply in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). The Germans, Americans, British, and French did agree in 1990 to not make any deployment of non-German NATO forces on the territory of the former GDR. The agreement of not deployment foreign troops on the territory of the former GDR was found in Article 5 to the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, which was signed on September 12, 1990. It was signed by the two Germanys, the United States, Soviet Union, Britain, and France. Former Soviet President Gorbachev said in an interview that the topic of NATO expansion was not discussed at all. He said that the agreement didn't wanted NATO to be sent to the then GDR after German reunification.
Ukraine was an independent state in the modern area by December of 1991. The first Ukrainian President was Leonid Kravchuk. The economy shrank by more than 10 percent per year under his Presidency. The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances comprises three identical political agreements signed at the OSCE conference in Budapest, Hungary on December 5, 1994 to provide security assurances by its signatories relating to the accession of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The memorandum was originally signed by three nuclear powers: the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States. China and France gave somewhat weaker individual assurances in separate documents. This agreements says that Ukraine agreed to give up nuclear weapons in exchange for Russia and other nations to respect their sovereignty. Has Putin lived up to that promise? No, so Putin violated the 1994 Budapest Memorandum agreement completely.
The 2nd President of Ukraine was Leonid Kuchma (1994-2005). He has many scandals like the reduction of media freedom including the Cassette Scandal. In 1997, the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership was signed by NATO and Ukraine that Ukraine will move gradually in cooperation in NATO (and eventually be a member). The economy recovered with GDP growth at 10 percent a year during his last years in office. Kuchma said that he wasn't trying to run for re-election in 2004. So, the battle was on in Ukraine to see who the next President would be. There were 2 major candidates in the 2004 Presidential election. One Viktor Yanukoyvh, the incumbent Prime Minister, supported by Kuchma and the Russian Federation. Viktor wanted closer ties to Russia.
The main opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, called for Ukraine to turn its attention westward and aim to eventually join the EU. So, much of the crisis in Ukraine deals with different factions in Ukraine disagreeing on the future of Ukraine (either being more pro-Western and the other side wanting to be more pro-Russian). In the runoff election, Yanukovych officially won by a narrow margin, but Yushchenko and his supporters alleged that vote rigging and intimidation cost him many votes, especially in eastern Ukraine. A political crisis erupted after the opposition started massive street protests in Kyiv and other cities (in the "Orange Revolution"), and the Supreme Court of Ukraine ordered the election results null and void. A second runoff found Viktor Yushchenko the winner. Five days later, Yanukovych resigned from office and his cabinet was dismissed on January 5, 2005. During the time of Yuschenko's term, Russia and Ukraine relations were strained. Yushchenko wanted better relations with the European Union and less toward Russia. There was a 2005 highly publicized dispute over natural gas prices with Russia. It caused shortages in many European countries that were reliant to Ukraine as a transit country. A compromise was established in January 2006. In 2008, Ukraine applies to initiate ties with NATO in 2008. By the time of the presidential election of 2010, Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko — allies during the Orange Revolution — had become bitter enemies. Tymoshenko ran for president against both Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych, creating a three-way race. Yushchenko, whose popularity had plummeted, persisted in running, and many pro-Orange voters stayed home. In the second round of the election Yanukovych won the run-off ballot with 48% to Tymoshenko's 45%.
The Presidency of Yanukovych and his Party of Regions lasted from 2010 to 2014. President Yanukovych signed an agreement with Russia to have a lease on the Black Sea naval base in Crimea until at least 2042. They were accused of trying to form a "controlled democracy" in Ukraine and of trying to destroy the main opposition party Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko. Both Yanukovych and the Party of Regions deny the charges. One frequently cited example of Yanukovych's attempts to centralize power was the 2011 sentencing of Yulia Tymoshenko, which has been condemned by Western governments as potentially being politically motivated. In November 2013, President Yanukovych did not sign the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement and instead pursued closer ties with Russia. In 2013, Ukraine would change forever. Yanukovych's action caused protests in the streets of Kjiv and ultimately to the 2014 Ukranian Revolutions. By early December 2013, protesters occupied Kiev city hall and Independence Square in dramatic style. Some 800,000 people rally in Kiev. There were protesters setting up camps in Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), and in December 2013 and January 2014 protesters started taking over various government buildings, first in Kyiv and, later, in Western Ukraine. Battles between protesters and police resulted in about 80 deaths in February 2014. On December 17, 2013, Vladimir Putin buys up 15 billion dollars of Ukrainian debt and rescue the price of Russian gas supplies by a third. President Yanukovych, on February 19, 2022, wants compromise and truce with the protesters in the chaos. On the next day, snipers open fire on the crowd in the Maidan Square causing over 60 deaths. Both protesters and police officers are killed in the gunfire. Negotiations continue with a plan to have a national unity government, new Presidential elections by the end of 2014, and protesters to surrender all public buildings and illegal weapons. By February 22, 2014, as the police pulled back, the protesters stormed government buildings and seized control of Kiev. Yanukovych flees to the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine. The peace deal was over.
After the violence in the Ukrainian Parliament on February 22, 2014, the Parliament voted to remove Yanukovych from power (on the grounds that his whereabouts were unknown, and he couldn't fulfill his duties). Neo conservatives like Victoria Nuland and John McCain actively supported the protests to expand Western hegemony in the region not for the purpose of democratic reasons completely alone (as the protesters have the right to voice their views). That is why Nuland was opposed to a compromise government in Ukraine by saying "F___ the EU!" During the infamous call on which Nuland and Pyatt appeared to be plotting to replace or undermine elected Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych, Nuland expressed her not-so-diplomatic disgust with the European Union for favoring former heavyweight boxer and austerity champ Vitali Klitschko to take over as prime minister, instead of the U.S. first choice, Artseniy Yatsenyuk, who indeed took power after Yanukovych was ousted about three weeks later. John McCain is photographed being united with far-right Svoboda party leader Oleh Tyahnybok (Oleh wants to require Ukrainians to pass a Ukrainian language test to work in the civil service. He even wants Ukraine to be a nuclear power). Also, the Right Sector and the Azov Battalion in Ukraine are filled with Neo-Nazis and far right racists. That is true, and those groups are abhorrent.
Yet, the vast majority of Ukrainian people aren't Neo-Nazis. A Neo-Nazi, white racist far right movement is found in Russia too. That is why nationalist politician Vladimir Shirionvsky (the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia in the State Duma) said that America should go into racial segregation. Russian leader Anton Morozov said that he wanted black people in America to go into reservations. The racist Donald Trump has praised Putin multiple times. Why isn't Russia Today (who are under orders to not refer to the Ukraine crisis as an invasion now) or other hypocritical leftists not reporting on these facts? The reason is that they want to minimize the far-right nature of Putin and his supporters while seeking to hypocritically claim to be against imperialism. You can't support Putin and be anti-imperialist.
The Parliament voted to free Yulia Tymoshenko from prison too. The same day Yanukovych supporter Volodymyr Rybak resigned as speaker of the Parliament, and was replaced by Tymoshenko loyalist Oleksandr Turchynov, who was subsequently installed as interim President. Yanukovych had fled Kyiv, and subsequently gave a press conference in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. By March 2014, evidence proves that the snipers shooting at the crowds in Kiev were not employed by the Ukrainian government but were shooting at both sides to stoke chaos.
The March 18, 2014 controversial annexation of Crimea existed by Russia. Crimea had its referendum on reunification with Russia. A large majority favored the proposition. The vote was organized under Russian military occupation. Russia stands by the referendum. The European Union and the United States government view the vote as illegal, because it was created under Russian military occupation. The Crimean crisis was followed by the unrest in eastern and southern Ukraine. On March 4, 2014, America pledged $1 billion in aid to Ukraine. By April of 2014, Ukrainian separatists self-proclaimed themself as the Donetsk Peoples' Republic and Lugansk People's Republic held referendums on May 11, 2014. The separatists claimed nearly 90 percent in favor of independence. Later by April 2014, massive fighting exists between the Ukrainian army and pro-Ukrainian volunteer battalions on one side, and forces supporting the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics on the other side, escalated into the War in Donbass. July 17, 2014 was the date when Malysia Airline Flight MH17 from Amsterdam is shot down near the village of Grabove in rebel held territory. 298 lives were killed. The West accused Russia of doing it, and of course Putin denies this. Investigators say that the weapon used in the attack is traced back to Russia.
On September 5, 2014, the Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko and local armed groups in eastern Ukraine signed a ceasefire protocol in Mink. Both sides as well as Russia including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held talks for a possible political solution to the crisis. Yet, the crisis continued. October 21, 2014 was when Human Rights Watch said that it has strong evidence that Ukraine attacked populated areas of Donetsk with cluster bombs, banned by many other states. November 2012 was when NATO Commander General Philip Breedlove said that Russian military equipment and Russian combat troops have been seen entering Ukraine in columns over several days. By December 23, 2014, the Ukrainian Parliament renounced Ukraine's "non-aligned" status with the aim of deepening cooperation with NATO.
By December 2014 more than 6,400 people had died in this conflict and according to United Nations figures it led to over half a million people becoming internally displaced within Ukraine and two hundred thousand refugees to flee to (mostly) Russia and other neighboring countries. During the same period, political (including adoption of the law on lustration and the law on decommunization) and economic reforms started. On May 25, 2014, Petro Poroshenko was elected president in the first round of the presidential election. In 2015, reforms in Ukraine slowed down, the economy in Ukraine suffered, and corruption was a real problem.
On February 12, 2015, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France announced a peace deal in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. This deal deals with another ceasefire between Ukrainian government troops and local armed groups in eastern Ukraine. By December of 2015, more than 9,100 had died (mostly civilians), in the War in Donbass, according to the United Nations figures. On October 2015, the Washington Post reported "elite units" of the Russian army in Ukraine. By 2017, Ukraine had closer ties with the EU with Ukranian citizens giving visa free travel to the Schengen Ara for up to 90 days during any 180 day period on June 11, 2017. On May 19, 2018, Poroshenko signed a Decree, which put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on the final termination of Ukraine's participation in the statutory bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is clear that both Minsk Agreements came about in 2014 and in 2015.
The Kerch Strait incident occurred on 25 November 2018 when the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) coast guard fired upon and captured three Ukrainian Navy vessels attempting to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait on their way to the port of Mariupol. February 7, 2019 when the Ukrainian parliament passed a constitutional amendment stating Ukraine's commitment to join NATO.
On February 21, 2019, the Constitution of Ukraine was amended, the norms on the strategic course of Ukraine for membership in the European Union and NATO are enshrined in the preamble of the Basic Law, three articles and transitional provisions. On 21 April 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president in the second round of the presidential election. Early parliamentary elections on July 21 allowed the newly formed pro-presidential Servant of the People party to win an absolute majority of seats for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine (248). Dmytro Razumkov, the party's chairman, was elected speaker of parliament. The majority was able to form a government on August 29 on its own, without forming coalitions, and approve Oleksii Honcharuk as prime minister. On July 28, 2020, in Lublin, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine created the Lublin Triangle initiative, which aims to create further cooperation between the three historical countries of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and further Ukraine's integration and accession to the EU and NATO. Ukraine banned TV broadcasting of pro-Russian TV channels on February 2, 2021. The decision of the National Security and Defense Council and the Presidential Decree of February 19, 2021 imposed sanctions on 8 individuals and 19 legal entities, including Putin's pro-Russian politician and Putin`s godfather Viktor Medvedchuk and his wife Oksana Marchenko.
As the year of 2021 continued, Ukraine works with the EU planning for a possible Ukraine membership in the European Union by the 2030s. On December 7, 2021, Joe Biden Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation for 2 hours. Biden told Putin that he would put sanctions on Russia if the Kremlin allowed his military forces to enter Ukraine. By December 2021, Russia made 2 draft treaties that wanted Ukraine to not join NATO and reduce NATO troops and military hardware stationed in Eastern Europe. Russia threatened a military response if their demands were met. The United States rejected such demands. Biden talked with Putin about his goals. Biden said that he disagreed with Putin on many things. January 10-13, 2022 was when the latest rounds of talks between Russia and the West failed (within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe). Both sides warned of political escalation. The Geneva talks on January 10, 2022 failed to have a resolution between Washington and Moscow. January 22, 2022 was then the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that the first shipment of military aid from the United States arrived in Kiev. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the USA has delivered a written letter to Russia addressing Moscow's concerns. America deployed additional troops to Europe including 1,000 troops to Romania and another 2,000 troops to Germany and Poland on February 2, 2022. America predicted that Russia is preparing for an imminent invasion of Ukraine with almost 200,000 Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. On February 17, 2022 the Ukrainian military and local armed groups in eastern Ukraine accuse each other of firing weapons in eastern Ukraine first. On February 21, 2022, Russia officially recognized the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, as independent states, and deployed troops to Donbas, in a move interpreted as Russia's effective withdrawal from the Minsk Protocol. The breakaway republics were recognized in the boundaries of their respective Ukrainian oblasts, which extend far beyond the line of contact. Ironically, China isn't so hawkish on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On February 22, 2022, Putin said that the Minsk agreements were no longer valid. On the same day, the Federation Council unanimously authorized the use of military force in the territories. So, the deal is that Russia refused to send its troops away from the Ukrainian border, and Biden refused to disengage military associations in Eastern Europe.
On the morning of 24 February 24, 2022, Putin announced that Russia was initiating a "special military operation" in the Donbas and launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine. Putin's action was a total attempt to conquer Ukraine and try to make it a puppet pro-Russian state. Putin's actions was against international law blatantly.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is unjust and evil. It has been condemned in the world. This is the largest invasion of Ukrainian territory since World War II. Missiles rain down on Ukraine's cities. Russian troops from Belarus and from Crimea go and attack Ukraine. Many Ukrainians forces held back the Russians in many cities. Putin has become more bellicose by threatening Finland Sweden if they join NATO. He also said that American intervention in Ukraine will be met with consequences greater than anything in history (implying usage of nuclear weapons). Putin putting his nuclear deterrent forces on alert is militarist and provocative. There are stories of black people (and other people of color) being refused to go into Poland from the Ukraine border, and that is wrong. Racism and discrimination have no place in the world period. The Ukrainian have shown stiff resistance to Russian imperialism. Germany and even Sweden plan to send weapons to Ukraine to help them defeat Russian forces. As the fighting continues, talks are underway between Ukrainian leaders and Russian leaders. Russia's ruble crashes as many nations cut funds sent to Russia. The Ukranian crisis continues in March of 2022. .
As we approach further into the 2020s, we see political crisis spread. This has been accelerated by the pandemic, conflict in Ukraine, and other issues. Some have a more monolithic version of history. We witness Earthquakes, plummeting marks, wars, and other events signifying the turbulent era of the 21st century indeed. One common misconception is that the truth must be P.C. all of the time. The reality is that the truth can be uncompromising, real, and authentic. The truth is that we have a long way to go with the evils of racism, hate crimes, murders, broken supply chain in some places, false religions, and megadroughts. One of the most vicious agendas of the global establishment is mass population control as advocated by Malthus, Hitler, and other evil people. Today, this mass depopulation agenda has been promoted under the guise of "health" and "sustainability." Yet, we know that the NSM 200 document, which was supported by Henry Kissinger, advocates mass population control among Africa, Latin America, etc. (which are heavily inhabited by black people and other people of color). Deception by many people in the mainstream media is plainly clear from Operation Mockingbird (which was a CIA program using their agents to infiltrate the corporate media), the Iraq War deceptive lies, and the Vietnam War deceptions promoted by the so-called "Wise Men." There are actual U.S. government conspiracies in history like the U.S. Department of the Treasury poisoned alcohol during Prohibition and people died, the U.S. Public Health Service lied about treating black men with syphilis for more than 40 years, the government wanted to use Operation Northwoods as a covert false flag attack to attack Cuba (JFK rejected this plan outright), the government tested LSD on citizens in their MK Ultra experiments, and the U.S. government sold weapons to Iran (in violation of an embargo) and used the money to support Nicaraguan militants. So, we know corruption in government, and we realize that many Americans back then and now are fighting for truth, justice, and a real government standing up for the general welfare of the common people too. Political groups are known now more than ever, and we should use our power to make real positive, meaningful change for the human race.
The 2022 Winter Olympics closing ceremony took place on February 20, 2022. It was held at the Beijing National Stadium. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings must combine the formal ceremonial closing of this international sporting event (including closing speeches, hoisting of the flags, the parade of athletes, and the handover the Olympic flag) with an artistic display to showcase the culture and history of the current and next host nation (Italy) for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The closing ceremony was directed by film director and producer Zhang Yimou, who also directed the opening ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympics and previously directed and produced the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics. There was the entrance of the President of China and the President of the IOC. Dancers lightened the emblem as Frank Mortenson's brand-new record for the 2022 Olympics, "It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow" written originally in 1938 by Irving Berlin, was played. The National Anthem of China was played. Then, there was the entry of countries' and regions' flags and Parade of Nations. The flags of the 91 competing nations entered the stadium first, followed by all the athletes who were still in Beijing marching in together as one group accompanied by an arrangement of Beethoven's Ode to Joy. The 2022 and me video existed along with victory ceremonies from the winners of women's cross-country skiing and men's cross-country skiing. The IOC athlete's commission showed new members and the recognition of the volunteers. There were videos detailing the theme of "Powered by Belief." The Greek National anthem and handover of the Olympic flag existed.
As per tradition, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, the host cities of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games presented an artistic performance at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. But due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the belief that "less is more", only 6 performers were sent. Duality, Together was the song. IOC President Thomas Bach formally closed the games, praising them as excellent and unforgettable, and said they will ensemble a team in four years time in Milano & Cortina in French. Following the declaration of the closing of the Games, a video was shown of Beijing citizens and Winter Games volunteers bidding farewell to their international guests. It concluded with Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen waving to a snowflake as it flies toward the sky.
The Olympic flame, burning in a torch placed in the middle of a giant snowflake-shaped cauldron, was gradually extinguished while "You and Me", the theme song of the 2008 Summer Olympics, then "Snowflakes", the theme song of the 2022 Winter Olympics, were sung by the Beijing Philharmonic Choir (北京愛樂合唱團). Both songs were sung in homage to the two Olympic Games hosted by China, to highlight the Chinese capital's historical achievement of being the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, and to mark the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics. President of China Xi Jinping and Italian political leaders were at the final ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The Winter Olympics in 2022 was very successful in showing some of the greatest athletes in the world today. It was a generational Olympics where legends retired, and a new generation of winter athletes expressed themselves. The Winter Olympics had many black athletes winning many awards making history on Black History Month. People from across the world promoted their own talents. Likewise, like many sporting events, controversies reign. In Beijing, many pandemic protocols were in existence in trying to stop the spread of disease. Also, we know that China has policies that are against democratic rights like the suppression of protests in Hong Kong, the oppression against the Uyghurs, racism found in Shanghai against black people, and other injustices. Also, we are clear that many apologists are trying to justify this evil by saying that Western imperialism is wrong, so China gets a pass on its sins. The reality is that no nation on Earth is perfect, and it's hypocritical to criticize America's imperfections while taking a blind eye to China's imperfections. The other lie that these hypocrites say that if you disagree with any policy from the government of China, then you endorse imperialism. The truth is that any nation should experience legitimate critique from time to time. That is why I'm consistent. It's wrong for American crooked police officers to do police brutality against people, and it's wrong for Chinese crooked authorities to suppress the freedom of speech in China in social media too. That's real talk. Therefore, we realize the truth. This doesn't mean that every American and every Chinese person wants chaos in the world. The vast majority of Americans and Chinese people want justice to realm on the Earth. The better people realize this, the better off we will be. The 2022 Winter Olympics was a very historic display of the power of human athleticism and human togetherness indeed.
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