Summary of the Origins of the Russo-Ukrainian War
TLDR: Ukraine Should Never Have Become a Thing
In three previous installments (first, second, third), we examined the causes of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Because the war may yet become WW3, and because it is a major war, its causes are worth understanding.
Here I offer you a summary.
At the perfunctory and utterly naïve Western-minded middlebrow level, we have the “evil Russian invasion by the thug Putin” narrative. This level of understanding is sad and laughable, and it is too bad that sharp in many ways individuals like RFK Jr. adhere to it and find it necessary to intone how “Putin is a thug” etc.
The next deeper level is the “US funded the 2014 Nazi coup” level, well expounded by Oliver Stone in 2016. This level is factually accurate but incomplete.
I think the actual culprit are the Russian cowards and “Ukrainian” (i.e. southwestern Russian) crooks (жулики) who allowed “Ukraine” and Belarus to become pseudo-independent states in 1991.
The reality is that the “Ukraine” and “Belarus” entities never had the potential for statehood and never stood a chance, despite the fact that in many ways, Ukraine was comparable to France in 1991. The very great difference was that France had been a great state for a millennium, during which time Ukraine had languished as a borderland.
In our age and the ages prior, Ukraine could only prosper as the southwest of Russia. Alone, it and Belarus were always doomed to return to Russia or once more turn into borderlands and battlegrounds. And indeed, in February 2022, Belarus lined up behind Russia and “Ukraine” became a battleground once more, just as it had been in the centuries of yore.
So as far as blame goes, the ones who merit blame are the spineless cowards Gorbachev and Yeltsin (also a drunk and a crook), and the “Ukrainian” crooks, freaks and assholes of the generation of Kuchma and the one after.
The world-conquering Anglo-Americans, and their European subjects envious of Russian sovereignty (even if imperfect), would ALWAYS exploit the weakness of Belarus and especially Ukraine. They would ALWAYS fund the Ukronazis against Russia. The 2014 coup was ALWAYS a given. The Minsk agreements were ALWAYS doomed. Putin goofed and Strelkov was right.
After 1991, Russia had until 2014 to recover Ukraine peacefully. After 2014, Russia was bound to wage war in Ukraine to recover its lands by Von Clausewitz’s “other means”.
This is the reality. To blame the Anglo-Americans is to blame the snake for its fangs. The predator would always strike the prey. The empire would always seek to expand. In the end, the main guilt for this debacle does lie with the Russians. Not because they are “bloodthirsty”. That’s just ignorant and bigoted.
The Russians bear responsibility for the war not for their greed and expansionism, but for their weakness in 1991 and their ridiculous hope that they would be able to live and let live. No. You either stand strong or fall under the boot.
Moscow chose to try to stand up again. History suggests betting in their favor. We shall see.
