Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
How to tell Ukraine from Russia when Putin blurs the lines -- Gary Kasparov
https://contrarian.substack.com/p/how-to-tell-ukraine-from-russia-whenThe difference goes deeper than language, culture, and geography. Knowing the answer is key to busting a dictator’s lies.
What makes Ukraine different from Russia?
To pro-Ukraine Americans, the answer might seem obvious: Ukraine is fighting for its freedom; Russia is fighting for the sake of imperial conquest.
But not everyone takes that fundamental truth for granted. Standing alongside a slackfaced U.S. President Donald Trump last week in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated the line that Russia and Ukraine are “brotherly” nations. To be effective advocates for Kyiv’s just war of self-defense, we need a deeper understanding of just what separates Ukraine from Russia beyond the prism of the ongoing invasion. And that’s where things get more complicated.
. . .
Ukrainians are who they are in large part because they stand by the ideas of liberty and the peaceful transition of power. Today, Ukrainians and Russians are much further apart than the British and the colonists were in 1776. Americans should be the first to recognize how a simple belief in democracy can make a nation—and they might consider what it means for their own national identity when so many of their once-freedom-loving neighbors have lost the faith.
To pro-Ukraine Americans, the answer might seem obvious: Ukraine is fighting for its freedom; Russia is fighting for the sake of imperial conquest.
But not everyone takes that fundamental truth for granted. Standing alongside a slackfaced U.S. President Donald Trump last week in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated the line that Russia and Ukraine are “brotherly” nations. To be effective advocates for Kyiv’s just war of self-defense, we need a deeper understanding of just what separates Ukraine from Russia beyond the prism of the ongoing invasion. And that’s where things get more complicated.
. . .
Ukrainians are who they are in large part because they stand by the ideas of liberty and the peaceful transition of power. Today, Ukrainians and Russians are much further apart than the British and the colonists were in 1776. Americans should be the first to recognize how a simple belief in democracy can make a nation—and they might consider what it means for their own national identity when so many of their once-freedom-loving neighbors have lost the faith.