East Ukraine Erupts In Chaos, Violence (Video)

There is a blog I follow whose blogger is a Russian who lives in Canada who has family in both Ukraine and Russia. This is what he had to say yesterday:

“After seeing the above video …. I called my aunt who lives in the Ukraine city of Kharkiv where that video was taken. She has told me that the situation has deteriorated badly in the past 2 days. Neighbors are now going against neighbors. There is no authority but the mob. Where she lives the neighbors have banded together to make sure that the violence does not touch them …. unfortunately …. and this is what got my aunt upset …. the crisis is now even impacting her grand-children’s high school. The interim government in Kiev …. in their incredible stupidity …. have now made it mandatory that all schools teach Ukrainian …. and that Russian is now banned. Russian families are outraged (at least my aunt is) …. and the blow-back is now happening everywhere …. including in the schools. I asked her if there are Russian special forces involved in instigating this violence …. she told me bluntly no. This is neighbor going against neighbor …. with certain areas now becoming designated no-go zones. She is deeply worried. She hears that people are arming themselves, and everyone is now expecting the worst …. including her.

I had this conversation with my aunt about ten hours ago ….. and I have been reflecting on it for the entire afternoon. And then it hit me …. what she told me is what a Serbian friend told me years ago on the eve of the Yugoslav civil war …. “neighbor going against neighbor”. 

The next few days are going to be crucial …. and I hope that some form of agreement will be reached that will de-escalate the crisis. But …. I am now reconciling myself to the realization that this is probably not going to happen. The Ukrainian nationalists who now run the interim government do not care what their policies and actions are causing …. and on the flip side …. Putin does not care what happens in Ukraine as long as it remains subservient and obedient to Moscow …. especially if Moscow is paying the bills …. and if not …. to make sure that they are squeezed.

Two stupid sides …. hell bent because of history to despise and hate each other …. and in the end …. it will be the common person and his family who do not care about politics but do care about living a life of peace …. who in the end will suffer.

On a side note …. my father was born in Ukraine from Russian parents. He loved Russia and Ukraine …. and considered himself a citizen of both. He fought for 4 long years against the Nazis and their Ukrainian supporters in the hope that something good will come out of it in the end …. and for those acts he suffered greatly for the rest of his life …. but he always felt that what he did was the right thing to do. I am glad that he is not alive today. He would be heartbroken to see what is happening …. and what is probably now going to unfold.”

The situation grows more dangerous by the minute.  Russia sits and waits for the green light to go in while Kiev sits amid its own ruins groveling to its western ‘partners’ who want nothing more than to ravage Ukraine for thier own interests.  I don’t think anyone thought it would go as far as it has and as far as it is right now.  You can’t believe that the separatists in Eastern Ukraine are Russian soldiers and you can’t believe they aren’t because both sides have their propaganda machines cranking.  Especially Kiev.  Stay tuned..  who knows where this is going.

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