Before I start this blog, I want to make two statements:
- I am not a political analyst or political commentator. In fact, I am working right now on such an intense IT project that I have no more than 15-20 minutes a day to view the news on the Internet.
- I am not for Putin or Zelensky. I know very well the history of Ukraine and Russia and the past occupations of the current leaders of both countries.
So, I am not for Whites or Reds.
I am for Kyiv.
I was born in Kyiv and lived there for thirty years. Even though I have lived more than forty years in Canada, Kyiv was and is my favorite city. I had traveled a lot. I was in Asia and Europe and around the Americas, and in Australia and New Zealand, and I consider Kyiv one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
I don't want anything to happen to this city, to my beloved Kyiv.
Have you read the book The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway?
It's a story of a cellist who worked for an orchestra in Sarajevo Opera House. After Opera House was destroyed during the war between Serbia and Bosnia, he continued diligently rehearsing at home every day.
And one morning, the hungry musician had noticed through the window a line-up near the bakery. The line-up consisted of his neighbors and friends. During the siege of Sarajevo, bread was a luxury and not to be ignored. And yet, the cellist decided to go through his rehearsal first.
And as he was practicing, the bomb fell and destroyed the bakery killing all twenty-two people in that line-up.
For twenty-two days, the cellist was taking his cello and the chair, coming down and sitting by the hole where the bakery used to be, and playing Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor. One day for each of his friends.
The book is extremely powerful. You can feel the hater of the people that used to be friends and neighbours towards each other, and the desperation of the people in the sieged Sarajevo.
I think these days about this book and the war in former Yugoslavia. Of course, there were always differences and tensions between the parts of the country, yet there was tolerance and acceptance.
There were inter-marriages, and during those wars, the families were split, brothers were fighting against the brothers.
According to the United Nations and the United States, Serbia was an aggressor, and Slobodan Milošević was the devil incarnate. And as the war progressed, Americans bombed the country.
These wars became Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. The wars were marked by many war crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and rape. The Bosnian genocide was the first European crime formally classified as genocidal in character since World War II. Many key individual participants in it were subsequently charged with war crimes.
There was a considerable loss of life from both sides, and there weren't any winners, only losers. And there was bombing by helpful friends (NATO instigated by the USA).
On one of these bombings, on May 7, 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (Operation Allied Force), five US Joint Direct Attack Munition guided bombs hit the People's Republic of China embassy in the Belgrade district of New Belgrade, killing three Chinese journalists and outraging the Chinese public.
Why am I remembering these events now? I am not diminishing the crimes of Serbia and Milošević. Still, I often think that if America and NATO wouldn't interfere and instill fear and hate into peoples' hearts, maybe the wars in Yugoslavia wouldn't be so bloody. Perhaps the nations of Yougoslavia would find a way to resolve their problems without all the horrors.
It seems history is repeating itself.
We have a new boogie-man: Putin and the new country that must be punished: Russia.
Russia had not attacked Ukraine yet (I am not talking about Crimea, I am talking about now), but the West is already screaming about 'Imminent attack', imminent sanctions, and horrible consequences for Russia.
I know the history and understand that most USA Presidents (except Trump) started the wars, and more than one.
I know that the Presidents are elected with the help of the Military lobby, and the wars helps the arms be sold and used. It helps, perversely so, to improve the economy of the USA (and now the country needs all the help it can get). I understand why it’s good for the USA to have this war, and why the West is in such a frenzy to bring the America and Europe to a feverish state over Ukrainian and Russian conflict but it doesn’t make it easier to accept this reality.
There are theories that the wise Biden would stop the war at the last moment and get the Piece Nobel prize for his assistance to resolve the conflict.
But the hysteria is too high; Europe and the USA are in a panic over the fate of poor Ukraine.
Whenever CNN talks about the imminent attack of Russia, I think that if the day of the beginning of hostilities is known to the States, it means that they are the ones who would start these hostilities.
I don't know what provocation the States and NATO would do: bring the warship into the Black Sea or the Ukrainian troops would enter Donbas, or something else, but Russia would respond. And it would be accused of aggression, and the war would commence.
And like before, only the NATO, the USA Government and the Military will be the winners. The people in Russia, Ukraine, the USA, and Europe will be losers.
In one of his latest videos, Mikhail Veller told the old joke about the son-worm asking mama-worm, 'Why is Papa dressed in his best suit?" And mama-worm answering, 'because the fishermen had invited Papa to fish."
Veller was talking about 'the friendship' between China and Russia. But I was thinking about the friendship between USA and Ukraine.
As they say, ‘with friends like that who needs the enemies?’
For over three hundred years, Ukraine and Russia shared their history. Of course, there were tensions, but yet, a large percent of the families in both countries have mixed Russian-Ukrainian blood.
The UK is screaming! The USA are screaming! Everyone in Europe and the USA is expecting a big spectacle, but it would be Ukrainian and Russian boys killing each other. Brother against the brother.
My entire childhood, I lived on Volodymyrska Street (used to be called Korolenko street) across from Kyiv Opera House.
I don't want this magnificent building to be destroyed. I don't want one single bomb to hit Kyiv. I don't want the young boys to kill each other.
I wish that Zelensky and Putin would get together and declare: 'LEAVE US ALONE! Let us settle our issues without your help."
I know that it's a naïve thought and not about to happen, but one thing I know for sure.
When everything would settle down, many years from now, the people would say, "They elected the Jew, and he led the country to the war. It's a Jew who destroyed our Kyiv."
All that I can do right now is to pray. Pray for this horrible war no to happen. Pray for my city, Kyiv and for two countries that are equally dear to me Russia and Ukraine.
