I do not believe or trust your words. I saw no problems like you describe when I was in Crimea. No tanks making threats. Trouble did not start until Putin made it start. The apartment building I stayed in when in Donetsk is destroyed. Rebels put anti aircraft gun on the roof. Separatist bastards are like Muslim Jihadist, Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist.. They set up their guns and rockets in the middle of civilians knowing when return fire from their attacks come it will kill civilians. They see this as propaganda victory. Terrorist do not go into the forest and mountains or fields to fight. They hide behind the women, children and old people in the cities and towns. Now my friends parents have lost their home and been forced to move away from the city they were born and raised in. Lucky their daughter has a flat in Kremenchuk so they have a place to live.
You think people in the west depend on only media sources for information. You are a fool. We have hundreds of thousands of people who travel to and from Russia, Ukraine and all over eastern Europe who give us accurate eyewitness up to date information. We talk to friends every day who are in the midst of the action. If we are not talking to them direct we are talking to their relatives who live here and communicate with their families everyday.
It is 21st Century. You and Putin are living in 20th Century still. You still think old style propaganda can work.
Putin and I... It’s a compliment... Thanks..
I also have been to Crimea a lot of times and know how much basically all of them were dreaming to be back to Russia. I am happy for them and wish we could do the same.
I also have friends in Donetsk, whose reports I examine almost every day. Their houses are ok at the moment, but many of their neighbors’ houses are ruined. Unlike your relatives and friends they understand: even if rebels stop answering Ukrainian fire, Ukrainians would not stop regardless. During 2 or 3 months of last year, rebels were trying not to shoot to much back, Ukrainians never stopped. And even if what I say does not convince you, tell me:
1. Why did official Kiev ignore the will of 7 million of its people, who voted on referendum with 85% last May about their independence and did not try to negotiate with the people instead of declaring a war on them? (USA also decided to separate from GB in 1776, so the world should now start calling Washington and Jefferson separatists and terrorists according to you?)
2. Why did Poroshenko issue a law to cut off Donbass citizens from all kinds of payments?
3. Why is Poroshenko demanding from EU to recognize all Donbass people as a terrorist organization? (7 million people in Donbass! Quite a terrorist organization! ISIS would be jealous.)
4. Why does Yatsenuk keep calling all Donbass people
semi-people?
5. Is it Donbass people who came somewhere else to threaten Ukrainian Army or is it Ukrainian Army who came to Donbass last May? By then everybody there was absolutely disarmed, but Ukrainians arrived on a lot of tanks, for what reason? For peaceful negotiations?
All above looks more like an attempt to physically get rid of the people who dared to disagree with official Kiev. And finally,
6. What would you personally do to protect yourself from Ukrainian shelling? Did your relatives and friends have better suggestions, than those rebels on the roof?
And you know what, among the people I know also are the people who only think how to protect their own b*tts and some who think how to protect their Motherland. I’m glad, that among my friends the last type of people is predominate.