Friday, July 28, 2023

Christianity of Kyivan-Rus enrages muscovy/russia

Today, Ukrainians the world over are observing the 1035th anniversary of the Christianity of Kyivan-Rus. It is simultaneously an historic and joyous commemoration for all Ukrainians everywhere as they attest their – and only theirs – ancient spiritual and national legacy.

However, russians have striven to steal both from our nation. They have sought to demonstrate not only the similarity of Ukrainians and russians but also threatened to forcibly unite the nations and countries thus erasing Ukrainians from humanity’s memory.

Indeed, in the July 29, 2013, edition of The Torn Curtain 1991 newsletter, I forecast that Putin’s arm twisting of Ukrainian leaders at that commemorative event in Kyiv would ultimately lead to Russia’s violent attempt to rebuild the torn iron curtain one way or another.

Taking advantage of the observance of the 1025th anniversary of the Christianity of Kyivan-Rus, when the territory of today's muscovy was a frog-infested swamp, putin visited Ukraine and drove his point about re-unification with russia.

Amid a host of religious, predominantly Orthodox spiritual leaders, putin on Saturday, July 27, 2013, urged Ukraine to join forces with russia, its colonial overlord, saying russians and Ukrainians were “one people” – his ongoing moronic expression.

Undoubtedly, his words angered Ukrainians in Ukraine and beyond, who do not feel that russians and Ukrainians are one. Furthermore, his remarks seem to confirm observations by Ukrainian and other officials, congressmen and pundits that putin is doing everything in his power to resurrect the russian empire and restore the iron curtain. For confirmation, just read today’s headlines.

Ten years ago putin urged the two majority Orthodox neighbors to further integrate economically.

“Intense competition is going on now in global markets, for global markets," putin said after talks with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. “Only by joining forces can we be competitive and win in this rather tough competitive fight. We have every reason to believe that we can and must do it.”

However, he cynically added that russia would “respect whatever choice the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian state will make.”

As well as promoting economic ties, putin stressed the bonds between both countries forged by a common history and what he called russia and Ukraine’s “spiritual unity.”

“Together we went through great trials, tribulations and tragedies, together we built and defended the Great Rus,” putin said following a meeting with Ukraine’s top Orthodox clergy.

“All of us are spiritual successors of what happened here 1025 years ago. And in this sense we are certainly one people.”

If you had even the slightest doubt about russia’s intentions or even considered putin to be a pretty upright fellow, then his arm twisting in Ukraine then and invasion of Ukraine today should reaffirm the russian people’s recidivist treacherous side. The goal remains the same: invade and subjugate Ukraine, annihilate the Ukrainian nation and destroy its cultural legacy.

Nothing smacks of a restoration of the russian prison of nations and the iron curtain more than putin’s remarks over the years. Today’s russian war against Ukraine has merely added actions to words and reinforced moscow’s millennial intentions.

As in the past, so too in the future, we’ll be asked, what did you do to oppose russian expansion?

Monday, July 24, 2023

Life Imitating Art or russian & nazi terrorists never change

For those who can’t understand the latest iteration russia’s war against Ukraine, I found easy-to-comprehend clarity about the untold russian crimes against humanity committed against not only the Ukrainian nation but also the 1,000-year legacy that went into creating Ukrainians.

Every morsel of what it means to be Ukrainian. Every letter. Every word. Every book, poem and play, every artwork, painting and statue, musical note and composition. Every idea, invention, structure and edifice, achievement of a Ukrainian or all Ukrainians.

Since time immemorial and especially in the past 17 months muscovites/russians regardless of the flag atop the kremlin have endeavored not only to annihilate Ukrainians but also their creations that have attested to where they came from, where they are and where they hope to go.

We witnessed entire families mercilessly killed by russian cutthroats in uniforms. We’ve also seen them destroy museums, churches, historical books and literature, and artworks. The other day we saw the ruins of a historic sobor in Odesa that was struck by a russian missile. That Ukrainian house of worship was destroyed by stalin, later rebuilt and now destroyed by putin – leaders of the same murderous people.

Consequently, once Ukraine will defeat Russia and ensure its eternal entombment, Ukrainians must begin the task of rebuilding not only the farmlands and urban infrastructure, but also recreate as much as possible all aspects of their heritage, their culture. 

Why? The russians led by their demented putin wanted to erase Ukrainians and their memory from humanity’s memory.

Here’s how a comparable tragic situation was summarized by George Clooney’s character Lt. Frank Stokes in the 2014 movie The Monuments Men, a movie about a six-man Allied squad that was tasked to locate classical artworks stolen and hidden by the nazis: “You can wipe out an entire generation, you can burn their homes to the ground and somehow they'll still find their way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements and it’s as if they never existed. That’s what Hitler wants and that’s exactly what we are fighting for.”

That’s what putin wants and that’s exactly what we, Ukrainians and the free world are fighting for.