In 2014 Ukraine, great power gamesmanship, righteous anger at a corrupt status quo, and opportunistic far-right extremists toppled the government in the Maidan Revolution. Today’s crisis in Ukraine can’t be understood without understanding Maidan.
The problem with this take, and all braindead takes like this, is it assumes Ukrainians get no vote in how they are governed. The EU, NATO, and basically all western institutions are voluntary. You can join if you meet these conditions. And guess what, people are clamouring to join. No-one held a gun to Finland or Sweden’s head to make them discard historical neutrality to apply to NATO. They simply saw how Russia was trying to use guns in Ukraine.
Similarly, Ukraine chose the west. Calling the MAIDAN uprising a western coup denies them a voice. Yanukovych was voted in under the promise that he would tighten bonds with the West. Then after he gets voted in, he tears up the pending agreement with the EU. So people protest against this. Yanukovych baited and switched everyone.
They really got no vote: no elections, no opposition political parties, no way to leave the country if you want, huge oligarchy, a lot of corruption, huge debt…
And guess what, people are clamouring to join
I’m clamouring to leave, and many people as well.
the Ukraine chose the west.
You talk like Ukraine was unified place, like western and southern Ukraine were the same. Did Crimea choose the West? Did Donbass?
The problem with this take, and all braindead takes like this, is it assumes Ukrainians get no vote in how they are governed. The EU, NATO, and basically all western institutions are voluntary. You can join if you meet these conditions. And guess what, people are clamouring to join. No-one held a gun to Finland or Sweden’s head to make them discard historical neutrality to apply to NATO. They simply saw how Russia was trying to use guns in Ukraine.
Similarly, Ukraine chose the west. Calling the MAIDAN uprising a western coup denies them a voice. Yanukovych was voted in under the promise that he would tighten bonds with the West. Then after he gets voted in, he tears up the pending agreement with the EU. So people protest against this. Yanukovych baited and switched everyone.
They really got no vote: no elections, no opposition political parties, no way to leave the country if you want, huge oligarchy, a lot of corruption, huge debt…
I’m clamouring to leave, and many people as well.
You talk like Ukraine was unified place, like western and southern Ukraine were the same. Did Crimea choose the West? Did Donbass?