Ukraine vs Russia And How We Got Here
In case you haven't been paying attention the last few days, or few hundred years, there is an exhausting tug-of-war over the land that is the Ukraine. Large did a great job yesterday of explaining the historic timeline in his blog, and Zero Blog 30 has done the same with multiple podcasts and blogs. I'm not a veteran, nor am I an old guy who has lived through most of history, but I can recommend a documentary nominated for best feature length doc for you to watch this weekend covering the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution (Euromaidan). When it's over it will have you saying … "I get it! BUT, hopefully no one ever asks me to explain the situation."
Winter On Fire takes you into the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and on the frontlines of Ukraine's fight for independence. After Ukraine's President backed out of agreement talks November 21, 2013 with the European Union to cozy up next to Russia, the narrative was Ukraine's government was a corrupt puppet for Russia. Citizens of Ukraine lead protests and barricaded themselves in government buildings and capital's central square for 93 days.
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After Ukraine passed anti-protest laws to deal with the entrenched disruptors, tensions eventually hit a peak as protesters clashed with police. Although rubber bullets were used, 130 people lost their lives including 18 police officers. The escalated violence from February 18-20th lead to a truce being signed and the Russian favored President ,Viktor Yanukovych, fleeing the country.
Since the old president got the hell out, a new president was put into power by Ukrainian Parliament (their current president) who dislikes Russia and heavily favors a deal with the European Union after the protests put him in power. The fuse was lit in 2014 and now we've finally burned our way to the blast cap. Russia didn't get what they wanted, so now they are going to take it by force.
America has dealt with tragedy and we've seen our fair share of "unprecedented" events, but we haven't dealt with an invading force on our home turf since the British. The people in the middle of all this are people like you and me that are worried for their safety and what the future holds for the area. I never thought I'd be watching a war unfold ON AN INSTA DOG ACCOUNT'S STORIES, but nothing brings a point home like watching normal people try to protect themselves and what they love.
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