Six unpopular truths about Ukraine
War Day 366: In the Fierce, Wild Fields of Ukraine, One Year of Full-Scale War
Here are reflections on having been in Ukraine every minute of Russia's war on free people: from the terrifying early days as everyone sorted out what to do; to wild supply-delivery war-time road trips in Donbas, to stories of valour and excellence. Watch for a quick tour of life in war. Plus: Should we take China's peace proposal seriously? First we must remember that Beijing wants to destroy Taiwan just as Moscow wants to destroy Ukraine ...
As I send this from Kharkiv, it’s now the early hours of February 26, 2023. A year ago, we here in Ukraine dwelt in so much uncertainty and fear. The past few days there has been anxiety here for sure, but just 30 miles from Russia, what I witness more than anything is a powerful defiance.
Six unpopular truths about Ukraine
1. Russia’s war on Ukraine is happening for one reason: Ukrainians insist on freedom.
2. The talk of war crimes misses the point. The entire war is a war crime.
3. Ukraine’s democratic corruption is not as awful as in numerous other countries.
4. Most Ukrainians are unvaccinated against coronavirus.
5. Hunter Biden made money from Russia, and not from Ukraine.
6. The US has actually given less support to Ukraine than it seems.
KHARKIV—I do not write this for the sake of being polemical but after one year of full-scale war, these six facts are either ignored or distorted by people who are big voices against support for Ukraine.
So, in these slides I try to clear up some confusion. I used the word “unpopular” advisedly: This is sure to make some people frustrated. But the theme woven into each of these points is simple and clear: Ukraine is nation of fiercely free and brave people who especially since their Revolution of Dignity have been taking back their country from a powerful corrupt elite.
By the way, not included in these points but worth mentioning: Contrary to what @realdonaldtrump , @russellbrand , and my friend @jackmposobiec say, Victoria Nuland, a bureaucrat in the U.S. State Department did not create or design Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity. 😂
No bureaucrat could plan such a society-wide transformation, when Ukrainians reclaimed their language, culture, heritage that soviet and imperial Moscow had so long tried to destroy. I don’t understand why people who praise the much smaller Ottawa truckers movement choose to denigrate Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution.
Of course, Nuland and so many others were trying to manage the fallout, you know, to make sure Ukraine didn't choose someone too radical, like, say, an actor as their leader (as they did 5 years later) but if you examine history and you love freedom, you might come to love the Maidan mentality. From my story at Poland’s @tvp_world — link in bio.
Click below or read the story at Poland’s TVP World for details. And your opinions, popular or not, are welcome.
“[It's something rare in our world of corporate and automated radio regular, real humanity.”
—Neil Steinberg, in the Chicago Sun-Times, on Joe Lindsley’s daily Ukraine reports with Bob Sirott of Chicago’s WGN Radio. We invite you to follow on YouTube.
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Walking in a Winter Wonderland, Before the Big War:
... and remembering the last moments of peace one year ago, those freedom days of jazz music in Lviv…
FROM NPR'S Morning Edition: The stories of Ukrainian citizens who formed espionage cells to help liberate Kherson
The great report Joanna Kakiss, who reported from Lviv in those wild beautifuld days before the full-scale invasion, has this report now about life under occupation in Kherson. It's powerful. You can listen here.
War Day 364: Why Joe Biden's 20-Hour Roundtrip on a Ukrainian Train is Something Momentous
Stories, Sounds, and Facts of War: Every weekday, Ukrainian Freedom News’s Joe Lindsley, an American in Ukraine since the pandemic started, gives a live war report on Chicago’s WGN Radio. You can listen and watch below. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch all our stories.
ABOUT US: Ukrainian Freedom News: The wild story—so far—of free people standing for democracy, faith, dignity
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American journalist Joe Lindsley, in Ukraine since 2020, leads the Ukrainian Freedom News team of Ukrainians and foreigners on a mission to share real talk and real life in war-time with the world. Every weekday since late February 2022, he has reported live from Ukraine on Chicago’s WGN Radio with host Bob Sirott. You can listen to all episodes at UkrainianFreedomNews.com or via our YouTube channel.
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Truth to the World | Supplies to Ukraine
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