Putin says Russians and Ukrainians 'practically one people'

[Tommy_Carcetti]

Source: Reuters


Aug 29 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday the Ukraine crisis was a tragedy and that Ukrainians and Russians are "practically one people".

"People who have their own views on history and the history of our country may argue with me, but it seems to me that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are practically one people," Putin told a youth camp outside of Moscow. (Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk, Writing by Thomas Grove; Editing by Christian Lowe)


Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/08/29/ukraine-crisis-putin-people-idUKL5N0QZ2QF20140829

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Frightening talk from Putin indeed.

Just to be clear, when he says Ukrainians and Russians are the same people, he doesn't mean they're all brothers and sisters in the human family so let's buy the world a Coke.

He means all of your Ukraines belong to us Russians.

[DetlefK]

1. Bad choice of words, for two different reasons.

1. Time to bring Ukraine "heim ins Reich".

2. If Ukrainians and Russians are the same, then there's no obstacle to the rebels staying in Ukraine in Crimea returning to Ukraine.

[Blue_Tires]

3. That's been the rationale a lot of nutty Putin fanatics

on the left have been spouting -- That Ukraine doesn't "exist" as a real country with real borders anymore so there's nothing wrong with "moving in"...

[msanthrope]

2. This is bad. Very bad. nt

[Igel]

8. Very old.

It's not new with him. It's been around for centuries.

And it's not new this month.

It's what he was saying in February and before.

An inordinate fear of war and of standing up to bullies often means a de facto rejection of peace and liberty. One shouldn't grasp for war and seek confrontation. At some point we hang together or we hang separately. The founding of the US was based on the idea that at some point you say "enough", and if liberty isn't worth dying for it's not worth living in; if helping fellow humans isn't worth dying for, then expecting any help from anybody else isn't worth the wait.

Many didn't want the Ukrainians to stand up for themselves. Few think helping somebody out against oppression and genocide is worth even strong words. Both views could eventually lead to inconvenience and even the threat of violence, and, as many think, violence is always wrong--even in stopping worse violence.

[derby378]

4. There was a Ukrainian immigrant at one of my previous jobs...

This was back in the early 90s, mind you, and Ukraine had recently gained independence from the crumbling Soviet Union, and I asked him if he felt good about his homeland being free. He told me that the Ukraine that he grew up in no longer existed. There were so many Russians who resettled in Ukraine as a result of Soviet policies that it just didn't seem like the same place anymore. I could tell he was a little uncomfortable talking about it.

[davidpdx]

5. He sure is pushing hard to regain some of that lost territory

[snappyturtle]

6. What I find frightening is the Kiev government. nt

[Tommy_Carcetti]

7. In what respect, Charley? nt

[Igel]

9. Possible reasons.

They're not expansionist. Unlike Russia and the "rebels".

They don't care what language you speak, as long as the official language is Ukrainian. At worst, this is like Russia; at best, it's heads and shoulders above many Russians and the "rebels."

They don't gay bash, except for radical members of radical parties. Unlike Russia and the rebels.

They have no real problem with freedom of speech. Unlike Putin and the rebels. In the last month the Kyiv government's come up with banning Russian stations and imposing limits on sedition, but you can still say Poroshenko is an idiot, wrong-headed, etc., etc., on the national news. Just try that in Russia or among the rebels.

So many reasons to fear the Kyiv government and to think Putin's really a good ... um ... "liberal" isn't the right word. I know: Rassist (or "russist&quot .

[geek tragedy]

10. Ein volk, ein reich, ein Putin. nt