LONDON, March 05, /ITAR-TASS/. West’s policies towards Ukraine have nothing to do with an alleged care for the Ukrainian people and are dictated exclusively by the striving to encircle Russia, writes British political analyst Dr. Marcus Papandopoulos, the editor of Politics First Internet portal.
“In his statement on the crisis in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin presented Russia’s case, and it was a version of events that objective commentators and people who know the history of Russia and Ukraine intimately would find difficult not to agree with,” Dr. Papandopoulos writes.
“Firstly, President Putin stated unequivocally that what is happening in Ukraine is a result of a democratically elected President and Government having been overthrown which, of course, is contrary not just to democracy but to international law,” the article says. “Hence, President Viktor Yanukovych is the legitimate President of Ukraine.”
Secondly, President Putin drew attention to the nature of the politicians now taking up positions within the so-called Ukrainian government and the militants on the ground in Kiev.
“Many of the politicians in Kiev and many of the militants roaming around in central Kiev hold disturbing and vile views: they are anti-Semitic, anti-Russian and they praise those Ukrainians from the western-most regions of the country who collaborated with the Nazis during the occupation of the Soviet Union during the Second World War, such as Stepan Bandera and members of the Waffen-SS Galicia Division,” Dr. Papandopoulos says.
“Politicians of that nature can be found, for example, in the Svoboda Party. Indeed, the leader of that party, Oleg Tyahnybok, once said that Ukrainians should rally to fight against a “Muscovite-Jewish mafia” - a statement that has all the hallmarks, and is reminiscent, of Nazi-era propaganda,” the author says.
“Given that at least half of the population of Ukraine is ethnic Russian or Russian-speaking, it is not difficult to understand why millions of people in the country are now living in fear of the extremist and illegitimate authorities in Kiev,” he indicates.
Dr. Papandopoulos recalls that Putin highlighted the nature of the coup in Kiev it was a Western-backed one, aimed at bringing Ukraine into the West’s sphere of influence, “with the eventual and desired result being that the country joins the European Union and NATO.”
“The fact that Western governments and journalists do not recognise Mr Yanukovcyh as the legitimate President of Ukraine is because he chose to pursue closer economic relations with Russia, and this demonstrates that the United States government does not genuinely support democracy - it is selective in its support of the concept,” the author goes on.
“Furthermore, the fact that the West does not recognize the fear of millions of people in Ukraine concerning the ultra-nationalists who are now in power in Kiev is a reflection of the ignorance of Western politicians and journalists of what the Soviet Union endured during the Second World War, with nearly thirty million Soviet people, most of whom were civilians, having perished in the fight against Nazi Germany,” he writes.
“To American and British politicians, for instance, the war against Nazi Germany was won on the beaches of Normandy - Stalingrad, Kursk and Operation Bagration do not feature in their views on how Hitler was defeated,” Dr Papandopoulos says.
“And finally, the fact that the West wants Ukraine to join the EU and NATO is not out of care for ordinary Ukrainian people; the West wants Ukraine in its orbit so that it can complete the encirclement of the Russian Federation on its western borders - one only has to take a look at a map of modern-day Europe to see that along Russia’s western borders are EU/NATO states; and do not forget that the US is building a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe which is aimed at neutralizing the Russian nuclear strategic deterrent,” he writes.
“The ball, so to speak, is firmly in the court of the illegitimate authorities in Kiev and their Western backers in regard to resolving the crisis in Ukraine,” the article goes on.
“Kiev and the West must agree to an inclusive government that would include representatives from the Party of Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine; ensure that no politician who holds ultra-nationalist views has a government position; and take steps to ensure that the Russian language and culture is protected which would include prosecuting anyone who desecrates Russian monuments and allowing Russian to be an official language in Ukraine,” Dr. Papandopoulos says.
“Russia has acted in its accordance with international law and its own constitution in protecting ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Ukrainians in Ukraine,” he says. “Those two groups will not be protected by the West - only Russia will protect them and ensure that they are free to speak their Mother tongue language and be proud of their Russian/Soviet heritage.
The article urges the readers to remember that what frustrates Washington is that the Russia of today is not the Russia of the 1990s, when the country was in chaos. “Washington realizes that Russia has today re-claimed much of its lost superpower status and is, thereby, frustrating US objectives to keep Russia down,” Dr. Papandopoulos writes in conclusion.