bonnie Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 On 3/8/2022 at 8:34 PM, Humble Disciple said: Are you actually trying to convince anyone that you are not taking the side of Putin and only a unbiased bystander? How many do you know personally that have lived their lives under the thumb of this kind benevolent, democratically minded beloved leader? You accept everything written pro Putin as gospel and seem to be upset that others don't share your UNBIASED view, why is that? Personal knowledge,personal experience? Email March 12, 2022 The true atrocity that separates Russia and Ukraine By Richard Dean Young While the present Russian forces kill, maim, and attempt to destroy a people along with their culture, they argue that the Ukrainians are nothing more than Slavic Russians with an accent and that Ukraine has always been "part" of greater Russia. While it's true that many historical and cultural ties (ethnic, religious, musical...) do link these two peoples, there are modern convulsions that have divided and destroyed any feelings of close brotherhood. The main act of barbary, which classifies as genocide, was the 1930s Stalinist purge of the farming class of Ukraine in what was an engineered famine that snuffed out the lives of more than 5 million Ukrainians (some say up to 10 million). Previous to this horror, the nation of Ukraine had resisted the Bolshevik Revolution of 1918; they fought three years against being incorporated into the Soviet Union. Lenin eventually gave the Ukrainians a certain latitude to maintain their language and cultural identity, and even continue their farming system in what was the breadbasket of Europe. Stalin was not at all in favor of this policy. No sooner had he consolidated power than he set out to destroy anything that would set the Ukrainians apart from the Soviet collectivist system. Stalin targeted the well-to-do farmers of Ukraine, known as kulaks — this after the nation's leadership, intellectuals, and religious leaders had been mostly annihilated or sent off to Siberia. This was also the time that ethnic Russians began to be brought into Ukraine in a separate attempt to destroy any Ukrainian self-identity. The story of the Holodomor, literally meaning "death by starvation," is one of the most grim and cruel oppressions of the 20th century. Stalin put his lieutenant, Khrushchev, in charge of the systematic destruction of a people. All food and grain were confiscated to satisfy a requisition quota, and bands of soldiers and commissars raided villages and homes breaking into walls, searching in ovens, and even digging in gardens to find any hidden food. While millions starved in Ukraine, the Soviet Union exported from the same region enough grain to feed over 10 million people. The clouds of evil and darkness that settle over Mordor in the series The Lord of the Rings is a fitting literary backdrop for the terror that reigned in the Ukrainian Holodomor. At the height of the Holodomor in 1932, 28,000 people were dying from starvation each day. A system of internal passports was enforced along with draconian travel restrictions in order to keep the villagers from fleeing to the cities in search of food. Troops and commissars surrounded villages where food had long since disappeared, not allowing anyone to escape while all died a slow and cruel death. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian people and the country's leaders have unearthed much of the actual data of a legacy of one of humanity's darkest hours. While Russia itself has attempted to deny the breadth of the destruction during the Holodomor, many nations around the world, including most historians, have accepted that what Ukraine suffered was a case of classic genocide. For Putin to say Ukraine is an integral part of greater Russia is to ignore the identity of a people. Worse, it's an attempt to deny that such a great evil was visited on the Ukrainians. Knowing even a small portion of the history of the Holodomor will give anyone an understanding of what fuels the present decided resistance of the people of Ukraine as Russia attempts to subjugate them anew. phkrause 1 Quote Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ... ... Wish more people would realize this. Quotes by Susan Gottesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted March 14, 2022 Members Share Posted March 14, 2022 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589 Why has Russia invaded Ukraine and what does Putin want? By Paul Kirby BBC News 2 days ago Russia has launched a devastating attack on Ukraine, a European democracy of 44 million people, bombarding its cities and closing in on the capital, Kyiv, prompting a mass exodus of refugees. But why did Russia's authoritarian leader tear up a peace deal with his neighbour and unleash what European leaders have labelled "Putin's war"? He has shattered peace in Europe and thrown the continent's entire security structure into jeopardy. Why did Russian troops invade? In a pre-dawn TV address on 24 February, President Putin declared Russia could not feel "safe, develop and exist" because of what he claimed was a constant threat from modern Ukraine. Immediately, airports and military headquarters were attacked, then tanks and troops rolled in from Russia, Russian-annexed Crimea and its ally Belarus. Big cities have been shelled, neighbourhoods razed to the ground and millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes. And yet Russia bans the terms war or even invasion, threatening journalists with jail if they do. For President Putin this is a "special military operation". Many of his justifications for war were false or irrational. He claimed his goal was to protect people subjected to bullying and genocide and aim for the "demilitarisation and de-Nazification" of Ukraine. There has been no genocide in Ukraine: it is a vibrant democracy, led by a president who is Jewish. "How could I be a Nazi?" said Volodymyr Zelensky, who has likened Russia's onslaught to Nazi Germany's invasion in World War Two. Ukraine's chief rabbi and the Auschwitz Memorial have also rejected Russia's slur. President Putin has frequently accused Ukraine of being taken over by extremists, ever since its pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted in 2014 after months of protests against his rule. But Ukraine has not lurched to the right, it has turned to the West, and Russia's leader aims to reverse that. Those protests broke out when Moscow pressed Ukraine's president not to sign a 2013 association treaty with the EU. Russia retaliated in 2014 by seizing the southern region of Crimea and triggering a rebellion in the east, backing separatists who have fought Ukrainian forces in an eight-year war that has claimed 14,000 lives. Ukraine has made clear it wants to join the European Union and the Western defensive alliance, Nato, but the Kremlin will not have it. In late 2021, Russia began deploying big numbers of troops close to Ukraine's borders. President Putin repeatedly denied planning an invasion, but then he scrapped the 2015 Minsk peace deal for the east and recognised areas under rebel control as independent. As he sent in the troops, he accused Nato of threatening "our historic future as a nation". How far will Russia go? It is already clear Vladimir Putin seeks to take control of Ukraine and overthrow its democratically elected government. President Zelensky said he had been warned "the enemy has designated me as target number one; my family is target number two". Russia's stated goal is that Ukraine be freed from oppression and "cleansed of the Nazis". Under this false narrative of a Ukraine run by fascists since 2014, Mr Putin has spoken of bringing to court "those who committed numerous bloody crimes against civilians". He has denied aiming to occupy Ukraine and he rejected a UK accusation before the war that he was plotting to install a pro-Kremlin puppet, but then he said there would be no invasion either. One unconfirmed intelligence report says he aims to split the country in two. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The paediatrics ward of this Kyiv hospital was forced to shelter in the basement as Russian forces attacked There is no immediate threat to Russia's Baltic neighbours, but Nato has bolstered their defences just in case. One clue to his war aims came in an editorial published on 26 February then deleted by state news agency Ria-Novosti in which the writer praised a new world order where Russia was restoring its pre-1991 Soviet unity, gathering the so-called Russian world of Russians, Belarusians and Little Russians (Ukrainians). Last year, President Putin wrote a long piece describing Russians and Ukrainians as "one nation", and he has described the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991 as the "disintegration of historical Russia". A puppet has worked out in Belarus, through long-time authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, but in Ukraine that is quite another matter. War in Ukraine: More coverage LIVE: Latest updates from on the ground FRONT LINE: If Kharkiv falls, Ukraine falls UNDER SIEGE: 'This is not war - it's Russia against humanity' RUSSIA MOTHERS: 'How do I get my soldier son back?' IN DEPTH: Full coverage of the conflict What are Putin's demands? To stop the war, the Russian leader wants Ukraine to recognise Crimea as part of Russia and to recognise the independence of the separatist-run east. And he demands that Ukraine changes its constitution to guarantee it will not join Nato and the EU. But his demands do not stop there. He wants Nato to turn the clock back to 1997 and reverse its eastward expansion, complaining Russia has "nowhere further to retreat to - do they think we'll just sit idly by?". That would require Nato removing its forces and military infrastructure from member states that joined the alliance from 1997 and not to deploy "strike weapons near Russia's borders". That means Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Baltics. Germany's chancellor Olaf Scholz believes this goes beyond Nato and that the Russia's leader "wants to take over Europe according to his world view". Putin wants a Russian empire, he warns. In President Putin's eyes, the West promised back in 1990 that Nato would expand "not an inch to the east", but did so anyway. That was before the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, so the promise made to then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev only referred to East Germany in the context of a reunified Germany. Mr Gorbachev said later "the topic of Nato expansion was never discussed" at the time. How dangerous is this invasion for Europe? These are terrifying times for Ukrainians as shells and bombs have rained down on their cities and more than two million have fled to neighbouring countries. Poland, Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Slovakia are dealing with a dramatic influx of refugees and the EU has warned that at least five million more could be displaced. But it is also a decisive moment that threatens to tear up Europe's post World War Two security structure. Russia's leader has put his nuclear forces on high alert, days after threatening the West with "consequences the like of which you have never seen" if it stands in his way. What are the nuclear risks? Recalling the Cold War, Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken of Ukraine battling to avoid a new iron curtain closing Russia off from the civilised world. For Europe's leaders, this invasion has brought some of the darkest hours since World War Two. France's Emmanuel Macron has spoken of a turning point in Europe's history. Image source, EPA Image caption, Press handout showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the front line For the families of both armed forces, these are anxious days. Ukrainians have already suffered a gruelling eight-year war with Russian proxies. The military has called up all reservists aged 18 to 60 years old. This is not a war Russia's population was prepared for, either, as the invasion was rubber-stamped by a largely unrepresentative upper house of parliament. Thousands of anti-war protesters have been detained and independent Russian broadcasters have been taken off the air, in a state whose main opposition leader was poisoned with a nerve agent before being thrown in jail. More than 100,000 Russians have voted with their feet and fled abroad. What can the West do? Nato's defensive alliance has made clear there are no plans to send combat troops to Ukraine itself. But member countries have provided weapons and field hospitals and the EU, for the first time in its history, is to buy and send arms and other equipment. Nato has deployed several thousand troops in the Baltic states and Poland and for the first time is activating part of its much larger rapid reaction force. Nato will not say where but some could go to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. At the same time, the West is targeting Russia's economy, financial institutions and individuals: Russia's central bank has had its foreign assets frozen and major Russian banks have been shut out of the international Swift payment network, which allows the smooth and rapid transfer of money across borders The US has banned imports of Russian oil and gas; the EU aims to cut gas imports by two-thirds within a year and the UK aims to phase out Russian oil by the end of 2022 Germany has halted approval on Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, a major investment by both Russia and European companies Russian airlines have been barred from airspace over the EU, UK and Canada Personal sanctions have been imposed on President Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and many other individuals Russia's state-run media Sputnik and Russia Today, seen as a Kremlin mouthpiece, are being banned across the EU The Russian city of St Petersburg will no longer be able to host this year's Champions League final and the Russian Grand Prix will not take place in Sochi. Putin's war prompts dramatic German U-turn What has Nato said? Nato is a defensive alliance with an open-door policy to new members, and its 30 member states are adamant that will not change. In the words of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg it is Ukraine's choice whether to aspire to membership, and for the 30 allies to decide. Ukraine's president initially called for a clear timeline for entry, but later moderated his stance when he realised it was not on the cards for some years. "I cooled down regarding this question a long time ago," President Zelensky told ABC News. Ukraine's bid may be off the table, but the idea that any existing Nato country would give up its membership is a non-starter. What is Nato and how is it responding to the Ukraine crisis? Is there a diplomatic way out? There seems very little chance for the moment, even if the two sides have held several rounds of talks. Ukraine has already moved on Nato, but Russia insists Kyiv lays down its arms and demilitarises, and that will not happen. Beyond the war, any eventual deal would have to cover the status of eastern Ukraine and Crimea as wells as arms control with the West. Image source, Reuters Image caption, The Russian and US presidents have spoken several times via video link and over the phone The US had offered to start talks on limiting short- and medium-range missiles, as well as on a new treaty on intercontinental missiles. Russia wanted all US nuclear arms barred from beyond their national territories. Russia had been positive towards a proposed "transparency mechanism" of mutual checks on missile bases - two in Russia, and two in Romania and Poland. More on this story What's Putin's next move on Ukraine? 23 February Where are Russia's troops? 23 February What sanctions are being imposed on Russia? 2 days ago The Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the crisis 22 February Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humble Disciple Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1011528/zelensky-nationalizes-tv-news-and-restricts-opposition-parties Zelenskyy has nationalized television news and banned opposition parties. This is usually what dictators do. In this thread, I've given a great deal of information on corruption in Ukraine, not to justify Putin's actions, but in order to show why we shouldn't take either side in this war. Instead, we should remain neutral and pray that a peace agreement is reached as soon as possible. phkrause 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humble Disciple Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 1 hour ago, Humble Disciple said: https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1011528/zelensky-nationalizes-tv-news-and-restricts-opposition-parties Zelenskyy has nationalized television news and banned opposition parties. This is usually what dictators do. In this thread, I've given a great deal of information on corruption in Ukraine, not to justify Putin's actions, but in order to show why we shouldn't take either side in this war. Instead, we should remain neutral and pray that a peace agreement is reached as soon as possible. In case anyone doesn't understand what this means, Zelenskyy has banned political parties that oppose his own party while shutting down news stations other than the government news station, which is what dictators do. This would be like if Biden banned the Republican Party and all TV news stations besides PBS. This is just one more example of how corrupt of a country Ukraine is, and how there really is no "good side" in this war. I hope and pray that there will be a peace agreement as soon as possible. phkrause 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted March 30, 2022 Members Share Posted March 30, 2022 Fact check: Putin's claims justifying war in Ukraine are baseless, experts say As the war in Ukraine continues, so too does the information war. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/03/30/fact-check-why-putins-claims-justifying-war-ukraine-baseless/7089270001/ Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted March 30, 2022 Members Share Posted March 30, 2022 Fact check: False claim that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is 'scripted and staged' Weeks into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, some on social media are suggesting the armed conflict is all for show. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/03/28/fact-check-russian-invasion-ukraine-real-not-staged/9401942002/ Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted March 30, 2022 Members Share Posted March 30, 2022 Fact check roundup: What's true and what's false about the Russian invasion of Ukraine Here’s a roundup of claims related to the Ukraine-Russia conflict analyzed by the USA TODAY Fact Check team: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/02/28/fact-check-whats-true-and-whats-false-invasion-ukraine/6952717001/ Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted March 31, 2022 Members Share Posted March 31, 2022 Russians leaving Chernobyl as fighting rages elsewhere KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and began leaving the heavily contaminated site more than a month after taking it over, authorities said Thursday, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-europe-united-states-nato-5863ad1d740cdd04ba42a25de0d31449? Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted April 1, 2022 Members Share Posted April 1, 2022 Mariupol officials say Russians blocking aid reaching besieged Ukraine city Mayor’s aide says city remains closed for anyone trying to enter and ‘very dangerous’ for those trying to leave https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/01/ukraine-russia-peace-talks-continue-amid-fresh-bid-to-help-mariupol-residents-flee? Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humble Disciple Posted May 28, 2022 Author Share Posted May 28, 2022 The United States government has spent more money on Ukraine in the last six months than it's spent on roads and bridges for our own country in a year. Please let that sink in. This is despite the fact that this conflict will only have a diplomatic solution, as I've been saying from the beginning. What good has funding more war in Ukraine with American tax dollars done for anyone? Even Zelensky is now admitting that only diplomacy will end this war: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-ukraine-end-diplomacy-zelensky-b2084448.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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