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Monday, 26 February 2018 12:13

CRIMEA IS A PART OF UKRAINE AS ALASKA IS A PART OF THE USA

Michael MacKay, Radio Lemberg, 26.02.2018 
 
Crimea is as much a part of Ukraine as Alaska is a part of the United States. In the past, the Russian Empire occupied Crimea and Alaska, but that confers no right on the country that calls itself the Russian Federation to occupy Crimea or Alaska now. Russia invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea in 2014 because the Putin regime doesn’t respect international law and because at that time the Ukrainian state was weak. Russia has not yet invaded and seized Alaska only because the United States remains strong.
 
Ukraine was weak in 2014 because Russia had largely succeeded in neutering the power and corrupting the loyalty of the Ukrainian army over many years of subversion. Putin ordered Russian Spetsnaz (special forces soldiers) to begin the invasion of Ukraine in Crimea on 20 February 2014, which was also the day of the greatest number of killings by Russia-trained snipers of the Yanukovych regime on Maidan in Kyiv. The Spetsnaz came as “little green men” – heavily armed and well-equipped soldiers with identifying insignia removed. A massive propaganda campaign by the Kremlin attempted to obscure the invasion as somehow related to the “EuroMaidan” protests occurring throughout Ukraine – including Crimea– that were Ukrainians were starting to call the Revolution of Dignity.
 
Putin wanted his invasion to appear to be support for a coup d’état. He wanted to avoid revealing it for the naked armed aggression that it was. On 26 February 2014, four years ago today, there was a massive pro-Ukrainian unity demonstration in Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine. It was peaceful, it was jubilant, it was genuine, and it was a spontaneous outpouring of the feeling of love of Ukraine by Crimea residents. Crimean Tatar flags and Ukrainian flags were in abundance at the rally. This was visible proof that there was no coup d’état in Ukraine, and there wasn’t going to be one. Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians and Russians who live in Crimea cherish their Ukrainian citizenship and the tolerant, accommodating, peaceful society that Ukraine has become since freedom and independence in 1991. The Revolution of Dignity put a corrupt and murderous leader, Viktor Yanukovych, to flight, and it did it with a massive demonstration of people-power that was sustained for months in the winter of 2013-14. On 26 February 2014, Ukrainians in Simferopol were celebrating the unity of the whole country.
 
Incensed with rage at the Simferopol display of Ukrainian patriotism and genuine democratic spirit – which he doesn’t understand – Putin opted for open invasion of Ukraine. Russian special forces seized the regional parliament building in Simferopol and more Russian invasion troops poured into Ukraine. By April 2014, Russian invasion troops were occupying parts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions as well as Crimea. Putin’s War has continued for over 4 years now. Putin has a partial occupation, but he has failed to defeat Ukraine and he has turned Russia into an international pariah. Russia no longer belongs to the family of civilized nations because of the colossal stupidity of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
 
Putin has wreaked vengeance on Crimean Tatars and Ukrainian who remain loyal to Ukraine and who refuse to collaborate with the enemy Russia. In particular, Putin has sought out any prominent participant in the 26 February 2014 demonstration in Simferopol, Ukraine for special persecution. The Russian occupation regime strips away Ukrainian citizenship and laws, forces Russian citizenship and laws on the captive population (in violation of international humanitarian law), and goes back in time to charge participants in the Simferopol, Ukraine demonstration with ‘anti-Russian Federation’ offences. Anyone who commemorates the Day of Crimean Resistance or who participates in the Crimea Solidarity movement to help political prisoners is made to pay a terrible price by the vicious Putin regime.
 
A world-wide event called “26 Moments of Solidarity” is being held today, February 26, to support hostages of Russia who have been abducted since Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago. Filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, civic activist Aleksandr Kolchenko, human rights defender Emir-Usein Kuku and others will be remembered in acts of solidarity. The Centre for Civil Liberty in Ukraine and PEN America are co-ordinating events.
 
Russian state terrorism didn’t end in 2014, but has only worsened. Typical is an incident from February 25. A Crimean Tatar woman held a single-person picket outside the Khan’s Palace in Bakhchisaray, Crimea, Ukraine. She held a sign that said “Hands off the Khan’s Palace.” Even the laws of Russia, the de facto administrative authority in Ukrainian Crimea, permit single-picket protests. Nevertheless, the woman protestor was attacked by two provocateurs who ripped up her poster. Enforcers of the Russian occupation then arrested the peacefully protesting woman, and did nothing about the two men who attacked her.
 
Her protest was an attempt to protect and preserve the historical Khan’s Palace, which was on the cusp of being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. The Khan’s Palace has been allowed to fall into ruinous disrepair by the Russian administration regime, as part of its slow-motion ethnic cleansing of the autochthonous people of Crimea, the Crimean Tatars.
 
Crimea is Ukraine. Ukrainians who live on the Crimean peninsula showed that with the massive pro-Ukrainian unity rally in Simferopol four years ago. Ukrainians like the woman yesterday show that with small acts of non-violent resistance to the terrible things that foreigners from Muscovy are doing to Crimea in their illegitimate occupation. It is as ridiculous to think that Crimea can be a part of Russia as to think that Alaska can. Crimea and Donbas will be liberated because their occupation by Russia is unnatural and cannot endure. Crimea is Ukraine.
 
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