It’s a common misconception that imperialism means “military action against another country” when in reality, it’s more like a sea slug projecting it’s stomach outward to feed on another society’s resources and labor. We don’t consider the actions of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, for example, to be imperialism: we recognize that campaign as an anti-imperial action aimed at dislodging a US-installed puppet government which was put there for the purpose of maintaining a western neocolony.
That description fits Russia’s actions towards Ukraine, perfectly. Putin sees Ukraine as a vassal state, that belongs to Russia. He believes that allowing it the illusion of independence was a mistake, and he intends to reabsorb it into the Russian Federation empire.
Ukrainians on the other hand, do not view themselves as Russian, or even “belonging to Russia”. It is not the same as a single people having a civil war. It is a fight for independence from a larger colonial force, intent on destroying their cultural independence and stealing their land and resources.
Eastern Ukrainians absolutely do view themselves as Russian, that’s the crux of why they seceded from Kiev in 2014, and voted to join the Russian Federation after 2022.
I think you’re misunderstanding those sentiments. A lot of people living in Easter Ukraine ARE ethnic Russians. That’s why they see themselves as Russian. Because they are not ethnic Ukrainians.
That’s literally how settler colonialism works. You occupy the land, and claim it as your own.
Well, yes, they are ethnic Russians. I didn’t mean to say that they were Ukrainians that saw themselves as Russian, but residents of Ukraine. Eastern Ukraine was historically Russian, and only given to Ukraine in the 20th century, so it’s a bit messy.
It isn’t “messy” at all. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine declared its independence, and the newly formed Russian Federation agreed to the new borders.
Russia no longer has any right to that territory, no matter how many ethnic Russians still live there.
Russia IS “doing an imperialism”, though.
It’s a common misconception that imperialism means “military action against another country” when in reality, it’s more like a sea slug projecting it’s stomach outward to feed on another society’s resources and labor. We don’t consider the actions of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, for example, to be imperialism: we recognize that campaign as an anti-imperial action aimed at dislodging a US-installed puppet government which was put there for the purpose of maintaining a western neocolony.
That description fits Russia’s actions towards Ukraine, perfectly. Putin sees Ukraine as a vassal state, that belongs to Russia. He believes that allowing it the illusion of independence was a mistake, and he intends to reabsorb it into the Russian
Federationempire.Ukrainians on the other hand, do not view themselves as Russian, or even “belonging to Russia”. It is not the same as a single people having a civil war. It is a fight for independence from a larger colonial force, intent on destroying their cultural independence and stealing their land and resources.
Eastern Ukrainians absolutely do view themselves as Russian, that’s the crux of why they seceded from Kiev in 2014, and voted to join the Russian Federation after 2022.
I think you’re misunderstanding those sentiments. A lot of people living in Easter Ukraine ARE ethnic Russians. That’s why they see themselves as Russian. Because they are not ethnic Ukrainians.
That’s literally how settler colonialism works. You occupy the land, and claim it as your own.
Well, yes, they are ethnic Russians. I didn’t mean to say that they were Ukrainians that saw themselves as Russian, but residents of Ukraine. Eastern Ukraine was historically Russian, and only given to Ukraine in the 20th century, so it’s a bit messy.
It isn’t “messy” at all. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine declared its independence, and the newly formed Russian Federation agreed to the new borders.
Russia no longer has any right to that territory, no matter how many ethnic Russians still live there.
Except the west coup’d Kiev and installed Banderites that caused Donetsk and Luhansk to secede, and ask Russia for support.
No. They didn’t. Students in Ukraine organized those protests. And it was Russian soldiers that started the fighting in the East.