6 Ukraine - a colony?
Don’t be fooled: Russia is attacking to turn Ukraine into a colony. Ukraine defends itself. USA does not want to help. This is proxy war?
- Ukraine has long been a sovereign state
- The West promoted reforms not only in Ukraine, but also in Russia
- Ukraine wanted independence: and good relations with Russia and the West
6.1 Ukraine is a sovereign state
Ukraine has been an independent Soviet republic from Russia since 1919/1922 and has maintained diplomatic relations with several countries. Like Belarus - and unlike Russia - Ukraine is an independent founding member of the United Nations.3 After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine became a completely sovereign state in accordance with the clear majority wishes of its inhabitants, see Chapter 15 and Chapter 86. In 1994, Russia committed itself in the Budapest Memorandum to defending Ukraine as a sovereign state after giving up its nuclear weapons, see Chapter 57.
Neither the West nor Ukraine have historically ever been particularly mutually fixated on each other. The more intensive mutual relationship is a consequence of Russia’s imperialist influence.
6.2 The West supported Ukraine and Russia
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West and the US intensified exchanges with both Ukraine and Russia and supported reform processes in both countries. While Ukraine civilized itself democratically, Russia preferred to deceive the West and secretly advance its imperialist agenda4.
A quick admission of Ukraine into NATO and the EU met with resistance in the West - out of consideration for Russia. Instead, preference was largely given to a neutral Ukraine. Today we know: that was a mistake.
6.3 Ukraine wanted good relations with Russia and the EU
For a long time, Ukraine did not clearly favor ties with the West either. In fact, around the turn of the millennium, Ukraine pursued a seesaw course between Russia and the West. Ukraine’s priority was independence and not embedding itself in a power bloc, which would have run counter to the quest for independence.5
6.4 Russia sabotaged Ukraine’s neutrality
Russia tried to prevent Ukraine from democratizing and opening up to the West. The attempt to falsify the Ukrainian presidential elections in 2004 and to eliminate the presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko with poison led to the Orange Revolution.6
Russia’s attempt to thwart the EU Association Agreement with its stooge Viktor Yanukovych in 2013 led to the Revolution of Dignity, also known as the Euromaidan.7 8
6.5 Russia enforced Ukraine’s ties to the West
After Viktor Yanukovych fled the country in the face of resistance from the Ukrainian people, Russia annexed Crimea (Chapter 10) and invaded the Donbas (see Chapter 34). At this point, Ukraine was neutral according to its constitution, but increasingly had to ask for Western help against Russia’s military to defend its sovereignty. The West granted the requested help so hesitantly and inconsistently that Putin felt emboldened to attack the whole of Ukraine in 2022.
The West is slowly coming to the realization that defending Ukraine is also in its own defensive interests if it wants to prevent Russia from annexing Ukraine and attacking other neighbors as a result.
6.6 Independence of Ukraine emphasized
The UN Resolution-ES-11/1, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority (only 5 votes against) after the Russian full-scale invasion, clearly showed that Ukraine is a sovereign state under international law.
Gerhard Simon (2023) Die Ukraine wird von Amerika gesteuert. In: N. Pryhornytska, K. Pavlova, ed. Ukraine im Fokus. Propaganda erkennen, Fakten verstehen. Berlin: CRISP.↩︎
Nico Lange (2024) Aber die NATO! 10 populäre Mythen über Putins Krieg gegen die Ukraine, Kapitel 8. Münchener Sicherheitskonferenz, Zeitenwende on tour. https://securityconference.org/assets/user_upload/MSC_Aber_die_NATO_10_Mythen.pdf#page=32↩︎
Die Entwicklung der Mitgliedschaft in den Vereinten Nationen. (1945). UNRIC - Regionales Informationszentrum der Vereinten Nationen. https://unric.org/de/entwicklung-mitgliedschaft/↩︎
Peter W. Schulze (2005) RUSSLAND UNTER PUTIN Good-bye Putin. DER BÜRGER IM STAAT 55. Jahrgang Heft 4, S. 208-215. https://www.buergerundstaat.de/4_05/bis04_05.pdf#page=50↩︎
Juri Durkot (2005) DER SCHWIERIGE BALANCEAKT ZWISCHEN EUROPA UND RUSSLAND - Europäische Perspektiven der Ukraine. DER BÜRGER IM STAAT 55. Jahrgang Heft 4, S. 186 - 190. https://www.buergerundstaat.de/4_05/bis04_05.pdf#page=28↩︎
Eduard Klein (2005) Orange Revolution Ukraine 2004, Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Baden-Würtemberg. https://osteuropa.lpb-bw.de/orange-revolution-ukraine↩︎
Steffen Dobbert (2022). Ukraine verstehen, Kapitel 14: “Der unbändige Wille einer Nation: Volksaufstand der Würde und Euromaidan-Revolution”. Klett-Cotta.↩︎
Der Euromaidan und die Folgen. (2023) Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/taegliche-dosis-politik/542894/der-euromaidan-und-die-folgen/↩︎