A question is not a fact. it is a fact that Putin did not invade Ukraine during the four years while he had a crony in the White House. That dies not mean he was not planning to attack all of Ukraine during that period. A period wher Putin perceives the Nazificatio of Ukrainec steadily grew worse if only in Putin’s mind.
So it is also a fact that Putin was ‘preparing’ to invade all of Ukraine since 2014 when he annexed Crimea and no longer had the million votes needed to control all of Ukraine through a democratic process.
EDIT- I’d like to extend my apologies to the OP for being completely off topic. I didn’t realize the topic is not what my response entails in response to an incessant poster.
I support self-determination of the commoners. I am a commoner and lucky to live under a democratic nation where I can choose to move or I can join others to improve local geographical conditions. A third option would be to attempt to change a state boundary (not the same as redistricting county boundaries within a state) although state boundaries have remained the same for many years with last territorial change with acquisition Hawaii in 1959.
Even in a democratic republic, it would be very difficult for a large majority of citizens to self-determine that state lines be changed. If the change meant to improve a political condition gaining in numbers, the other side of the aisle would totally freak out of course.
Now, back to the topic. The Ukraine is not a democracy (like you’ve incorrectly stated more than once now) and abilities to self-determine unfortunately require constant war and bloodshed. That’s a dismal case of affairs and makes me appreciate living in a democratic republic.
I support self-determination for all individuals, including Crimea’s majority to determine their own fate as they demonstrated by voting in 2014, as well as the people living in the Donbas region.”
This historical transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine is relevant: “One of the ironies of the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine in 1954 is that when the chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet, Kliment Voroshilov, offered his closing remarks at the session on 19 February 1954, he declared that “enemies of Russia” had “repeatedly tried to take the Crimean peninsula from Russia and use it to steal and ravage Russian lands.” He praised the “joint battles” waged by “the Russian and Ukrainian peoples” as they inflicted a “severe rebuff against the insolent usurpers.” Voroshilov’s characterization of Russia’s past “enemies” seems eerily appropriate today in describing Russia’s own actions vis-à-vis Ukraine. A further tragic irony of the Crimean transfer is that an action of sixty years ago, taken by Moscow to strengthen its control over Ukraine, has come back to haunt Ukraine today.”
In 1954 the Soviet Union transferred control of Crimea to Soviet Ukraine. Mark Kramer (Harvard) explains the reasons behind this surprising decision, one which has come back to haunt Ukraine today with tragic consequences.
www.wilsoncenter.org
Important statistical difference of vote: “With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukrainians voted to leave the Soviet Union and become independent.
54% of Crimea voted to leave the Soviet Union, a very low number compared to other parts of Ukraine. By comparison, 96% of the population voted to leave in one area near Kiev, the capital.” This statistical difference matters.
“In 2013, Viktor Yanukovych was the President of Ukraine. Like many Ukrainians, he wanted closer ties with Russia and refused to sign an European Union association agreement. Pro-EU protests against Yanukovych, called Euromaidan, started in November of 2013.
By the middle of March 2014, over one hundred protesters had been killed, most at the hands of police, snipers, and special government forces. Yankukovych fled to Russia in February and a new government was installed.”
Understand the causes of the Russian annexation of Crimea by learning its background. Learn about the history of Crimea's annexation and its...
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Unfortunately, the will of the people in Donbas will be determined by overt and covert actions of their political leaders. As most know with all wars, the Ukrainian and Russian people will continue to suffer while their leaders expect more commoners to sacrifice their lives for the cause, regardless of what the divisional split of commoners want to see to happen.
