Commentary
With a population of 46 million and a vast territory blessed with natural resources, Ukraine was the largest and most formidable state of the state that left the Russian Federation in 1991. About half of the population speaks Russian. Curiously, Leonid Iriichi Brezhnev, a Soviet leader from 1964 to 1982, was actually born in Ukraine and had a unique Ukrainian accent and manners throughout his life.
Russian history and orthodox religion began in the region, with the famous anti-Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn claiming that Ukraine was an integral part of Russia.
Indeed, it has been so for 500 years. However, when the Ukrainians decided to leave the Russian Federation, the Kremlin immediately recognized the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the region.
Ukraine is a multi-ethnic country and many of its citizens are Russian. Do these Russian-speaking Ukrainians have the right to celebrate their culture, values and heritage? Apparently not.
Significant changes to democratic institutions
Ukraine’s current pro-Western government has enacted a series of laws aimed at the so-called “Russification de-Russification” of Ukraine.
For example, the Zelensky government has just banned Russian books and even Ukrainian music. According to the Ukrainian government, the new law requires that only books published in Ukrainian or the “European Union’s native language” be published domestically.
Henry Kissinger, an American scholar who was the 56th Secretary of State of the United States from 1973 to 1977. Once said “The West must understand that for Russia Ukraine will never be just a foreign country. Russia’s history began with the Kievan Rus’. Russian religion spread from there. Ukraine It has been part of Russia for centuries. The Russian Black Sea Fleet (Russian means of projecting forces in the Mediterranean) is based in Sevastopol, the Crimea Peninsula (according to a long-standing agreement in Ukraine).
On March 20, when the Ukrainian government banned all Ukrainian opposition parties, it virtually concentrated its power. Despite not providing evidence linking opponents to Russian authorities, the Ukrainian president accused the leaders of “their own ambitions and background in the interests of the state.”
Also that day, Zelensky enacted a decree nationalizing all television channels into a one-state-controlled platform, using his own martial law as an excuse.
According to the president’s press release, “integrating all national television channels” puts “active dissemination of information” and “distortion of information” into a single information platform of “strategic communication”. Was designed to
The president too Ukrainian prosecutor removed And on July 17th, he was responsible for security services in Ukraine. Social media, He announced that 651 treason cases have been registered for Ukrainian law enforcement and public prosecutor’s office workers. He vowed to deal very rigorously with a significant number of alleged “traitors.”
“They will be punished,” the president said.
Support from the west
However, despite some suspicious nature of these wartime measures, the European Commission (the executive arm of the European Union) recently announced a desire to see Ukraine join the Union.
“The European Commission recommends giving Ukraine the prospect of becoming a member state of the European Union,” the Commission said.
On July 4, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised an additional $ 100 million (US $ 70 million) in aid to Ukraine’s war activities after a direct visit to Ukraine’s Zelensky.
Australia’s total support for the Ukrainian government currently amounts to $ 390 million ($ 270 million). This is the greatest contribution of non-NATO countries, and in fact there is more support than provided by about 30 countries that are members of a group of 32 countries dedicated to the defense of Europe.
The Australian Government has also deployed a huge number of deadly weapons to Ukraine, including long-range missiles and heavy ammunition.
According to Senator James Peterson, a former chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, this is “Significant investment“Provides Ukraine with deadly and non-fatal military power.”
Comment on the then Assistant Minister of Defense on March 2 Andrew Husty said: “There is no doubt that its support will fall into the hands of brave men and women defending Ukraine. It will proceed towards the end of Russia on the battlefield and arrive violently.”
This kind of rhetoric is worrisome, especially given that Russia is a nuclear power plant.
Of course, if the goal is to punish what Russia is doing to Ukraine, that makes sense. But if the higher goal is to prevent more bloodshed, well, this is not just a way to do it.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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August Zimmermann is a professor and director of legal affairs at the Sheridan Institute for Higher Education in Perth. He was also President of the Western Australian (WA) Law Theory Association, Editor-in-Chief of Western Australian Law Scholars, and a member of the WA Law Reform Commission from 2012 to 2017. Zimmermann has authored numerous books, including “Direito”. “Constitutive Brasileiro”, “Western Law Theory”, and “The Foundation of Common Christian Law”.