Ukraine/Crimea/Russia issue

[Amarok]

Intellectual honesty and integrity doesn't happen much around here.

Yeah you are lacking in those virtues aren't you .

[Smaug]

For all your talk four years ago about the west not understanding Russia, it turns out it was you not us who didn't understand your country.

Well, at least I managed to figure it out. It's not as easy as you may think when you look from my point of view.

[The Grand Nudger]

It can be difficult to see the shape of a thing when you're in the middle of it, for sure.

[Smaug]

No, it was obvious from the start that Russia was going to try and exterminate the native population of Crimea. They flooded the country with Russian army personnel to be the only voters in the "referendum on reunification" and decided to kill off the actual inhabitants.

P. S. I was misguided but it's not as simplistic as you see it. Yes, army personell was there. It was even admitted openly afterwards by the administration. But you would be totally wrong if you said that all the population was against the reunification. Maybe it wasn't as much as the referendum showed but it was a large number, likely considerably more than 50% of the population. Many had hopes that Russian govt would pour in a lot of money into the region. They were mistaken. Then there were those who were nostalgic of the USSR. Many bought into what media said and some are still confident that it's the West to blame. Now they have all the problems any other poor region in Russia. As long as you mind your own business and don't cross paths of 'big people' you're ok. Speaking up, however, will likely get you into big trouble. But some are actually quite content with this in spite of the poverty. This may seem paradoxical but it's the way it is. Propaganda works wonders, you know.