A fascinating infographic of toppled statues of Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine. http://t.co/UQWqikYgrD
— Khodorkovsky Center (@mbk_center) October 1, 2014
Political scientist Alexander Motyl from Rutgers University has been writing about the differing perceptions of the Ukraine crisis, particularly between Moscow and the West.
Russia and the West do not just see things differently. Their perceptions of reality are diametrically opposed; they negate each other. If the Russians are right, the West is wrong--and vice versa. Both sides cannot be right, and the two sets of views cannot be reconciled with each other. Calls for "understanding" the Russians and giving their views a "fair hearing" are thus little more than calls for abandoning one's own views. That would be justifiable, indeed right, if one's views were wrong. But it's manifestly absurd if one's views are right.
There is deeper issue here. We can determine whether perceptions of reality are correct or not. Despite the insistence of radical post-modernists that all truth claims are equally invalid, reasonable people the world over know that there is a simple test of the veracity of some perception: does it actually correspond to things as they are?
Did Yanukovych flee as a result of a coup by a small cabal of fascists or was he forced from power by the sustained exertions of thousands of democratically-inclined Ukrainians? The evidence overwhelmingly supports the latter view. Was Yanukovych a legitimate ruler or had his corruption and abuse of power undermined his legitimacy in the eyes of a majority of Ukrainians? Once again, the latter proposition can be easily proven. Has NATO ever expressed openly anti-Russian views or undertaken openly anti-Russian actions since the collapse of the USSR or is it an alliance without purpose, whose member states cannot imagine deploying their troops to a conflict in Europe? There is no evidence for the former claim. Are there or are there not Russian agents, soldiers, and volunteers and massive amounts of Russian military equipment in eastern Ukraine? Obviously there are.
In sum, Russian perceptions of the reality are wrong. We can easily explain Russian inability to see "straight." Putin has embraced and propagated, almost since coming to power, an ideology of hyper-nationalism, revanchism, and neo-imperialism that builds on deep-seated Russian resentment at having lost their position of greatness in the world, promotes a paranoid worldview, and deliberately constructs enemies in order to lend his regime legitimacy.
Should the West therefore try to understand Russian perceptions even if it knows that they are completely wrong? Obviously, understanding Russian delusions can help the West and Ukraine craft a better response to Putin's expansionism. But it makes little sense to say that the West and Ukraine should try to accommodate these delusions in their search for peace in eastern Ukraine and the Crimea.
Should the democratic world have accommodated Hitler's perceptions of Jews? Or of Germany's need for Lebensraum? Or of the innate superiority of the Aryan race? The questions are rhetorical, but they are exactly the ones we should be asking about Russian perceptions.
Read the entire article here
Was it another toppling or a Voodoo ritual in Krivy Rih? Puzzled by the gap in the forehead. pic.twitter.com/yooHpMt2Jz”
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) October 2, 2014
Thick smoke coming from the airport now visible from the center of #Donetsk
— Paul Gypteau (@paulgypteau) October 2, 2014
Large fire currently burning at the #Donetsk Airport pic.twitter.com/n5q6PBSzdd
— Conflict News (@rConflictNews) October 2, 2014
Donetsk's kids go back to school while conflict continues http://t.co/WbLGxBPPgd - our video from yesterday.
— Paul Gypteau (@paulgypteau) October 2, 2014
At least 10 killed in restive #Donetsk as bus gets hit http://t.co/7egVvQguDL - our video from the hospital yesterday.
— Paul Gypteau (@paulgypteau) October 2, 2014
Lots of talk at the investment forum about causes of Russia's economic woes (so far none of speakers has blamed Kremlin policy on Ukraine)
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) October 2, 2014
Here is the latest map of the military situation in eastern Ukraine issued by Kyiv's National Security and Defense Council:
Here's another update from RFE/RL's news desk:
Russian authorities say they have launched an investigation against Ukraine's defense minister and other senior military officials.
The spokesman for the Russian Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, announced today that Ukraine's military leadership, including Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey and General Staff chief Viktor Muzhenko, is facing genocide and war crimes charges.
On September 29, Russia accused top Ukrainian political and military leaders as well as nationalist organizations of committing "genocide" against Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities dismissed the accusations and opened a criminal investigation against officials of Russia's Investigative Committee.
Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists have been fighting for six months in eastern Ukraine, leaving at least 3,000 people dead and causing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
(TASS, Interfax)