December 2nd, 2025

My socialism class today began with discussion over Putin’s Munich speech. I remember telling you all about this many posts ago and was given the link to watch and read a transcript of it. I did not participate in this discussion but that is fine.

I did miss the first ten minutes of class due to the buses, but students seemed to have had a hard time disagreeing with Putin even though they really want to because of what he is doing now in Ukraine. They hate him but cannot say he was wrong in his speech.

A student said that Putin was saying what people/citizens want to hear: “Russia can solve your problems.” Another student said that Putin was putting the blame on the US. My professor said this sentiment does well in the Global South. Chernobyl was brought up regarding nuclear energy and the business major said they had no safety standards.

Putin is justified in saying the US is over-stretching and NATO is over-reaching, where is he wrong? A student said that Russia had no evidence of this, another student said Russia had no allies. My professor said that Russia was too weak at the time. She continued to say that some said that the conflict wouldn’t have happened if the world had just listened to Putin back then.

Now we get into the lecture material which is the build up to the war in Ukraine. She goes all the way back to the 2008 war in Georgia. Before that was the 2003 Rose Revolution and President Saakashvili. Demonstrations surged. 100,000 listened to speeches from the opposition and 20 days later the opposition entered parliament with roses. This is how Saakashvili came to power, a part of the peaceful revolution trend. In 2004 Georgia made a partnership with NATO, resulting in immediate cooperation. Police corruption was fought and the westernizing of Georgia was ushered in. NATO instructors arrived and a conflict with South Ossetia was developing.

South Ossetia voted to stay in the USSR at 99%. This region claimed sovereignty and Georgian forces would enter when independence was proclaimed. Apparently South Ossetia was run by Moscow bandits. The South wanted to reunite with North Ossetia, also South Ossetians recieved Russian citizenship, or at least many of them have it.

The war in Georgia lasted five days. Russian volunteers enter the South in 2004, they were all experienced young men. On august 6th, Russia prepared, and on the 8th the Georgian army attacked South Ossetia. The Russian army interferes and wins quickly. Medvedev signs a treaty with Sarkozy. This Medvedev-Sarkozy plan, according to my professor, demonstrated the Russian and European attitude towards Georgia. Russia would recognize the independence of South Ossetia.

This war is important for the Ukraine War, Putin hoped it would be done in a few days.nobody intervened in Georgia, so Putin thought the same would happen with Ukraine. Putin is used to hybrid warfare and worked on partial truths about what the population wants. South Ossetia was pro-Russia, the West is told that SO didn’t want Russia.

Russia was not prepared for Georgia and only won because Georgia was not doing well. After Russia built up its arms properly with plans and such. Last time we learned about the evolution of the Russian national identity, now we are going to get into the Ukrainian national identity.

A Ukrainian leader published a book called Ukraine is not Russia. the problem is that people thought Russia was the USSR, that Russia was imposing itself on the other republics, but Russia never centred itself as the USSR. The leadership was very diverse and Russia, like the other republics, had the Soviet Union imposed on it. Now every ex-republic blames Russia.

The Ukrainian identity is more complex than Russia. There are western and eastern versions. The west used to be part of Poland and considered itself European, it has a cult of Ukraine mentality. The east is majority Russian, they are loyal Ukrainians but were culturally Russian. The west wanted connections with Russia to be severed. So now an identity in Ukraine must be built: Ukraine as a victim state.

This starts with the holodomor being seen as the most tragic event. My professor calls it a man made famine where USSR provided no relief. Then there was the Chernobyl disaster where the USSR didn’t care about Ukraine. The business major piped up to talk about how the issue with Chernobyl is because of the USSR lying to the citizens about the danger, so celebrations were held even though they shouldn’t have been. Cossack “warrior democracy” is celebrated. Ukraine was made an independent satellite in 1917-1920.

The politics of memory changed after 2005. Soviet monuments were dismantled, this was done everywhere. Most of the statues torn down were of Lenin, this increased after the Orange Revolution. The Order of Hero of Ukraine was awarded to Roman Shukhevich, a UPA commander. The UPA was an organization that participated in the Holocaust. Stepan Bandera is celebrated as well, eastern Ukraine is not happy about these changes. The holodomor would be recognized as a genocide and any denial of it would become a crime.

Ukraine would also officially recognize the OUN and UPA. The UPA was created on Polish territories as the Polish government was stomping on any culture in Ukraine the Nazis started the war against Poland and the OUN would join them. The UPA participated in many killings, were responsible for pogroms, and murdered Jewish people. The SS division was created from the UPA. Many Eastern Europeans do not appreciate this official recognition of these groups. These were excused because the UPA and OUN were considered partisans fighting the USSR post-WWII.

Next we covered Ukraine under Yanukovych. Okay, he was a criminal who became a business and won the presidential race because of Russia and the eastern part of Ukraine. Ukraine was considered the most corrupt nation in Europe back in the 2010s. There were rumours about Yanukovych’s sone taking businesses. There was lawlessness under this presidency. He was offered an association agreement with the EU, not guaranteed membership. Russia was upset, no one listened to PUtin so he started intriguing. This was when Yanukovych announced his abandonment of the EU agreement for closer ties with Russia. This happened because Putin promised lots of money for economic development.

On December 1st around 300,000 people would protest this decision in Kiev’s independence square, city hall would be seized by activists. Protests initially started with students demonstrating in Maidan. The students were treated rudely by police so more people came to stand on the square singing and praying. A big community formed. Some witnesses say this was funded by the US. My professor then played the phone call of Victoria Nuland and Pyatt. They were discussing three people who could be the next president now that Yanukovych is gone. One guy suggested was a popular boxer with no experience in politics. They have to choose a leader faster than the EU. Putin was right, he may have started the war and is guilty, but the US was shaping it. A guy spoke up and said “you gotta love politics: its not right or wrong, but shades of grey.” My professor said there are situations that are black and white. I agree.

Class ended with the February 2014 street clashes that left more than a hundred people dead and many injured. Who was responsible? I didn’t get the answer but I remembered that Dr. Katchanovski talked about snipers being present.