Dignity & Freedom

To uphold core values, we must win in Ukraine

Today is Ukraine’s Day of Dignity and Freedom. It commemorates Ukraine’s heroic and historic two-decade-long struggle against Russian subjugation. By defending their independence, Ukrainians have been safeguarding dignity, freedom, human rights and rule of law for all.

This struggle has already been monumental. Most outside observers still fail to comprehend the intensity and scale of Russia’s attacks, inside and outside Ukraine, and the meaning of this naked aggression, which has upended stability in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and beyond. Left unchecked, Russia’s invasion and occupation is likely to be emulated and repeated by China, Iran and other states with neo-imperial designs on the territory of their neighbours.

Ukraine is pivotal. From Putin’s first days in office, he set fascist Moscow’s sights on re-taking control of Ukraine, which had represented such a large part of the sprawling, hidebound Tsarist and Soviet empires. Starting in 2000, Russian oligarchs were instructed to corrupt Ukrainian counterparts and buy up Ukrainian assets. Russian political operatives were directed to take control, by hook or by crook, of Ukraine’s electoral system. By November 21^st 2004, they were claiming victory for their placeman Yanukovych, backed by Viktor Medvedchuk whose youngest daughter had Putin himself as a godfather.

But the vote was crudely rigged. The next day Ukrainians took to the streets to launch their Orange Revolution. A re-run ballot was held on December 26^th and reformer Viktor Yushchenko won with 53 percent of the vote.

Russia’s fascists did not give up. They redoubled their corruption on behalf of Yanukovych, who won in February 2010 with 49.55 percent of the vote.

In November 2013, Yanukovych suspended an association agreement with the European Union. Protests began on Kyiv’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) on November 21^st. After weeks of demonstrations, marred by regime-backed violence, Yanukovych fled to Moscow on February 21^st, 2014.