Putin Says Crimea Invasion Was by Invitation Only:
Considering Putin views his incursion into Crimea as a matter of protecting vital interest against rough, rowdy and racist rebels, he felt compelled to roll in with Russian ruffians to rumble with the radicals on their turf. If bat wielding wild men could chase Viktor Yanukovych out of his own country, anybody coming to the rescue had better arrive ready for a real fight.
And by the way, you read correctly when I said racist rebels. Word is, among the ranks of Ukraine's most rebellious are card carrying Nazi types angling for a more pure version of their country. It didn't take a lot of digging to find confirmation of extremist views emanating from "some" Ukrainians.
When Vladimir Putin held a press conference in Brussels, after the EU-Russia summit meeting, he warned the EU that the opposition forces they are backing has been being infiltrated by racist, anti-Semitic elements. Putin reportedly said, "a priest in Western Ukraine was calling on the crowd to go to Kiev and topple the Government so as to—using his own words—prevent negroes, russkies, and yids from telling us what to do in our own home. First of all, it is astounding to hear this from a religious figure. Second, this is radical nationalism of a kind that is totally unacceptable in the civilized world."
Hearing this made me think twice about blindly supporting a bunch of potential haters, so I decided to dig a little deeper into this story. But, I had to be careful. Knowing how clever and wily Vladimir Putin can be, I wanted to make sure he wasn't floating these accusations just to get into Barack Obama's head.
The more I dug, the more I found Putin was on to something. For those who might not recall, there is this: Recently, the FIFA upheld Ukraine racism charges after investigating accusations of Ukrainians openly abusing their own Black player while making Nazi salutes during a world cup qualifying match.
The BBC produced a documentary called "Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate", that was broadcast on May 28. It highlighted a group of Indian supporters getting their asses kicked mercilessly at a Ukraine league match, and showed Polish fans chanting anti-semitic slogans. The graphic footage evoked the following response from former England defender Sol Campbell "stay away from Euro 2012 or risk coming home "in a coffin".
But wait, it gets worse:
In response to Ukrainian complaints that their image was unfairly tarnished by the documentary, the BBC added: "Panorama filmed at nine recent football matches in Poland and Ukraine and at every one recorded racist and/or violent behaviour by football supporters. This was most graphically demonstrated in Ukraine, where a group of Asian students were viciously assaulted inside the Metalist stadium, which is hosting Euro 2012 matches. To date no politician, football or police official in Ukraine has condemned these incidents or expressed concern for those on the receiving end."
According to Wikipedia: Human Rights Watch reported that "Racism and xenophobia remain entrenched problems in Ukraine". In 2012 the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) reported that "tolerance towards Jews, Russians and Romani appears to have significantly declined in Ukraine since 2000 and prejudices are also reflected in daily life against other groups, who experience problems in accessing goods and services".
Discrimination against Foreigners
According to a Western human rights organization, asylum seekers, refugees, and labour migrants are among the victims of bias-motivated violence, which have also included diplomats, expatriate employees of foreign companies, members of visible minorities in Ukraine, and Ukrainians who have assisted hate crime victims. Foreign students, of which there are some forty thousand, have been among the principal victims of hate crimes.
Small populations of citizens and immigrants of African origin are highly visible and particularly vulnerable targets of racism and xenophobia
If American media professionals did their homework, I am sure they'd find an entirely different narrative percolating just beneath the surface. Americans would likely find "some" Ukrainian attitudes quite objectionable to say the least.
If Americans knew they were being asked by its leadership to care what happens to hoards of poor Nazi Euro trash, they'd call on President Obama to refocus his energies on pressing domestic issues. From where Putin stands, the West should be cutting him some slack, not sanctions. Unfortunately, slack is not an option as GOP demagogues pressure President Obama to ratchet up the rhetoric.
Bottom line: When someone ask why Americans should care what Vladimir Putin does in Ukraine, I am not convinced they should care at all.