Novorossiya

Still largely following what's going on in Ukraine. Amazed by the courage of the Novorossiya guys who stand their ground and fight the government's army, the oligarch-hired militias and the fascist volunteers.  I don't have that kind of courage, so I'm in awe of how brave and chilled out the Novorossiya guys are, facing a barrage of bullets and shells aimed at destroying them -- as well as some really disgusting and dishonourable elements in the government camp.  Find myself identifying with the independence fighters in a big way.  Really upset the other day, when I saw notification that a couple of guys had been killed. The horrific photos of shelled civilians and photos of the destruction of towns are also very sobering. Even though I've followed this pretty closely this last month or so, it's only when I see particularly graphic photos that I realize I've not fully absorbed or integrated the reality of what's going on.   I'm reminded that the understanding I have is remote:  it's an intellectual level of awareness of what's going on, combined with a strong level of identification and emotional investment in the Novorossiya side winning.  But however much I feel a sense of solidarity, I'm not there:  it's not me exposed to being shelled; it's not me ducking bullets; it's not me picking up body parts and flesh of people who have been ripped apart; it's not me piling mangled, bleeding bodies of the dead into the back of a van -- and it's not me facing death or facing life in towns that have been completely devastated structurally and socially. Civilians go about their business in suburbs and towns while being shelled by that country's government and nobody cares. It is a disgrace that the puppet government of Ukraine has been  allowed to get away with what they're doing and that the west actually supports the murderous government they've invested in fleecing financially and strategically. No way known do I see a unified Ukraine coming out of this.   Imagine it would be impossible for those people to contemplate anything less than independence after the destruction and murder that's taken place.  And having see a video of the 'ultra-nationalist' marauding gangs of thugs in action destroying a Russian service station, knowing that these types are prevalent and even involved at government level, I'd say there's no way those people could ever forge a peaceful integration of the South-East region with the destroyers and the haters.