My classmate Viktor, a former Ukrainian diplomat, retired a couple of years ago. In an e-mail, he told me that the situation was not the same as the United States was waging war. Everything is as before in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, with no signs of unusual shopping in the shops. If the war continues, the outcome will not be good for Russia. Today's Ukrainian army is not the same as the army of 2014. "We are ready, we will not leave the place without a fight," Victor wrote.
I don't think there is a serious conflict between Russia and Ukraine, first in Kharkov in the 1970s, and then in Kiev during my six years as a student. There may have been a nationalist trend, but it is not noticeable. One state, one party, one language. We all spoke Russian, the Ukrainian language was hardly heard in the city except for the very old people. Apart from that both Russian and Ukrainian languages belong to the Slavic tribe, the differences between them are not so strong. However, there were some differences in pronunciation. Leonid Brezhnev, the leader of the Soviet Communist Party, was a Ukrainian man who pronounced the letter "C" as "H". We used to laugh about this.
The United States is increasing its military presence in Europe to prevent Russian attacks. As part of this, military equipment is being taken from Germany to Romania.
The United States is increasing its military presence in Europe to prevent Russian attacks. As part of this, military equipment is being taken from Germany to Romania.
Today's Russia was part of the "Kiev Russian" civilization a thousand years ago. As a result, these two towns have been closely associated with each other for a long time. This relationship became even closer after the Russian Revolution of 1917. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, there was a break in politics, but there was also a break in spirituality. Victor's letter made me look away.
While a nationalist political current is sweeping Ukraine, I learned a little about it as a student. Shevchenko is the best poet in the Ukrainian language (like Pushkin in Russian). He is also a symbol of Ukrainian culture and Ukrainian nationalism. He died on March 10, 181, in what is now St. Petersburg, where he was buried. But at the request of Ukrainian nationalists, his body was brought to Ukraine and re-buried on May 8. The day is important for Ukrainian nationalists. In order to prevent any anti-Soviet movement from erupting around the poet's memory, the day is banned in Ukraine. Our university was named after Shevchenko, and a huge monument was erected in front of the university building. On this day, local students were instructed in writing not to lay flowers at the Shevchenko memorial.
Ukraine has started counter-military exercises on the same day as Russia and Belarus
Russia, Belarus begin counter-military exercises
Remember, one of our classmates was expelled for disobeying his instructions and giving flowers. I heard that he was sent to Odisha to work as a general laborer. He was never seen again.
In July last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a lengthy, nearly five-and-a-half-word essay, presented various historical facts, claiming that Russia and Ukraine were in fact the same country, the same civilization. The West wants to separate Ukraine from Russia, ignoring that history. In that article, Putin claims that Ukraine's real sovereignty can only be achieved through a partnership with Russia.
Most Western commentators firmly believe that Putin wants to reorganize the old Soviet Union, not just Ukraine. He has repeatedly expressed his anger at the collapse of the Soviet Union, saying it was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century. He likened the break-up of socialist unity in Ukraine and other Soviet republics to the dismemberment of Russia. "People who have been with us for over a thousand years are now isolated," he wrote. It's hard to believe.
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