Russia - Ukraine Resources
History, context and analysis of the crisis

Ukraine Timeline Tells the Story
Without historical context, buried by corporate media, it’s impossible to understand Ukraine. Alan Macleod, 30 June, 2023.

War, Peace and the Media: Propping up the U.S. Empire and Risking the Planet
This fourth and greatly expanded edition of a work first published in 1983 questions the dominant narratives about militarism and war, and their relationship to global heating, as well as the role of the media in distorting and suppressing truths about their relationship. Contributors to this new edition of War, Peace and the Media challenge the U.S./NATO version of the Russia-Ukraine war and its historical causes, and highlight the role of mainstream and social media in sidelining or silencing dissenting information and opinions. Alphabet Publishing 2023.

The main enemy is at home
Our duty, Ulli Diemer argues, is to heed Karl Liebknecht’s slogan in 1915: “The main enemy is at home.” That enemy – U.S. imperialism, NATO, Canada’s complicity, and the military-industrial complex – is the enemy we must fight.

Paradoxes of democracy: Elections take place in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine while authoritarian rule prevails in Kiev-controlled regions
The Ukrainian authorities even before the 2014 coup were always very wary of any referendum initiatives or even polls addressing 'uncomfortable' issues of language, culture, economic or social policies. Dimitri Kovalevich, 26 September, 2023.

Myths and reality about the Ukraine war
How one views the war depends very much on the starting point of one's analysis. David Mandel, 2 August, 2023.

Beware the Righteous
There is nothing more dangerous that the inability to see that it is reasonable for others to have a different view or interest. Craig Murray, July 2023.

Opposing War: No Disclaimers Required
My own opinion on US meddling in Russian/Ukrainian relations doesn’t depend on an assessment of whether the invasion was provoked, unprovoked, justified, or unjustified, so I don’t need any such disclaimers. If you think I’m engaging in ‘moral equivalence,’ you’re absolutely right. There’s nothing wrong with moral equivalence statements if the people/actions being described are morally equivalent. Looking at you, Putin/Zelenskyy/Biden. Thomas Knapp, July 21, 2023.

Neo-Nazis in Ukraine? No, Yes, No-Yes
A New York Times’ reporter’s job this week is to persuade us that all those Ukrainian soldiers wearing Nazi insignia, idolizing Jew-murdering, Russophobic collaborators with the Third Reich, gathering ritually in Nazi-inspired cabals, marching through Kyiv in Klan-like torch parades are not what you think. Patrick Lawrence, 7 June 2023.

Media Support ‘Self-Determination’ for US Allies, Not Enemies
Non-Western media outlets have identified a precedent for Russia citing Donetsk and Luhansk’s right to self-determination as a rationale for attacking Ukraine: the Kosovo War. In 1999, NATO conducted a 78-day war that helped to dismember Yugoslavia and forcibly separate the Serbian province of Kosovo to create a new state.   Gregory Shupak. 7 July, 2022.

Calls By Western Socialists For A Russian Retreat From Ukraine Amount To De Facto Support For NATO Aggression
NATO socialists dismiss or ignore altogether the concerns of Russia over the expansionism, militarism and sanctions of the NATO alliance. Roger Annis, 22 May, 2022.

An Intellectual No-Fly Zone: Online Censorship of Ukraine Dissent Is Becoming the New Norm
Google has sent a warning shot across the world, ominously informing media outlets, bloggers, and content creators that it will no longer tolerate certain opinions when it comes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This builds on a similar message Google’s subsidiary YouTube released last month.   Alan Macleod, 25 April, 2022.

Zelensky’s Hardline Internal Purge
Ukraine’s ‘pro-democracy’ president has outlawed his opposition, ordered rivals arrested and presided over the disappearance and assassination of dissidents.   Max Blumenthal and Esha Krishnaswamy, 20 April, 2022.

For Washington, War Never Ends
Diana Johnstone writes: “It goes on and on. The ‘war to end war’ of 1914-1918 led to the war of 1939-1945, known as World War II. And that one has never ended either, mainly because for Washington, it was the Good War, the war that made The American Century. The conflict in Ukraine may be the spark that sets off what we already call World War III. But this is not a new war. It is the same old war, an extension of the one we call World War II, which was not the same war for all those who took part.”   Diana Johnstone. 16 March, 2022.

Shock and Awe: Then and Now
The U.S. is waging a new “shock and awe” campaign, shipping countless tons of war material, mobilizing neo-fascist “volunteers” to join an “insurgency” against Russia, and urging NATO ally Poland to lend Soviet era bombers to Ukraine. President Zelensky of Ukraine is demanding a “no fly zone,” with strong support from many U.S. members of Congress. That would mean U.S. fighter jets shooting down Russian aircraft – and that would likely mean World War III.   Dee Knight, 16 March, 2022.

Calling Russia’s Attack ‘Unprovoked’ Lets US Off the Hook
Calling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ‘unprovoked’ obscures a long history of provocative behaviour from the United States in regards to Ukraine. This history is important to understanding how we got here, and what degree of responsibility the US bears for the current attack on Ukraine.   Bryce Greene. 4 March, 2022.

The West’s hands in Ukraine are as bloody as Putin’s
Western media and politicians want us focusing exclusively on Russia’s role in Ukraine so we overlook our own responsibility for making sacrificial victims of the Ukrainian people. Jonathan Cook, 10 March, 2022.

Russia-Ukraine: A different invasion, the West’s same ‘madman’ script
Simple-minded media propaganda – like the claim Russia’s Putin is deranged – is precisely what brought us to the crisis over Ukraine.   Jonathan Cook, 28 February, 2022.

Experts Warned For Years That NATO Expansion Would Lead To This
Many people who’ve worked hard to gain an understanding of the Russian government have been warning for years that NATO expansionism would lead to a disastrous conflict, strongly emphasising Ukraine as a powderkeg where that conflict could ignite. Yet we’re being asked to believe that what we’re seeing in Ukraine has nothing whatsoever to do with NATO expansion.   Caitlin Johnstone, 25 February, 2022.

Chronicle of a War Foretold
After the fall of the Soviet Union, there was a near universal understanding among political leaders that NATO expansion would be a foolish provocation against Russia. The military-industrial complex would not allow such sanity to prevail.   Chris Hedges, 25 February, 2022.

War, Conflict & Enemies of Truth
Michael Brenner says the frenzy engendered by the Ukraine conflict reinforces a herd mentality that cries out for critical thinking.   Michael Brenner. 5 March, 2022.

Sleepy Joe’s Ukraine Hypocrisy Is Truly Beyond Measure
Joe Biden enthusiastically promoted the independence of the Serbian province of Kosovo when he was vice-president. Now Biden condems the separation of the Donbas republics from Ukraine.   David Stockman. 25 February, 2022.

In Ukraine, ‘No One Hears That There Is a Diplomatic Solution‘
This whole story of NATO expansion and economic expansion, it begins right after the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The US and Russia made a deal that NATO, the Cold War alliance, would not expand east past a reunified Germany. No reason to escalate tensions unnecessarily. But unfortunately, Washington decided to expand anyway.   Bryce Green. 24 February, 2022.

Glenn Greenwald: The War in Ukraine (video)
On the background of the war, and the emotions that accompany the outbreak of war.   Glenn Greenwald, 24 February, 2022.

US Foreign Policy Is a Cruel Sport
United States foreign policy is a modern form of bear baiting: an endless series of aggressive acts designed to turn a potential friend into an enemy.   Diana Johnstone, 23 February 2022.

Western Media Fall in Lockstep for Neo-Nazi Publicity Stunt in Ukraine
When the corporate media push for war, one of their main weapons is propaganda by omission. In the case of the recent crisis in Ukraine, Western journalists have omitted key context about the expansion of NATO since the end of the Cold War, as well as US support for the Maidan coup in 2014. A third and crucial case of propaganda by omission relates to the integration of neo-Nazis into the Ukrainian armed forces.   John McEvoy. 23 February, 2022.

No Actually The US Empire Is Still The Power To Criticize
The US empire is still the power structure one’s criticisms should be focused on, no matter how badly empire apologists wish it weren’t so, says Caitlin Johnstone. If you understand that the US empire both (A) created this problem and (B) is many orders of magnitude worse than Russia, then stand by that, because you’re right and they’re wrong.   Caitlin Johnstone 23 February, 2022.

What Is the Difference Between Kosovo & Donbass?
The U.S. has declared that Donbass is different. How it is different, nobody will say, because you are not supposed to ask.   Vladimir Golstein. 23 February, 2022.

John Mearsheimer on the situation in Russia and Ukraine
A talk presented a few days before the outbreak of the war, providing a detailed background to the historical context of the crisis.   John Mearsheimer, 21 February, 2022. See also his talk on 25 September 2015: Why is Ukraine the West’s Fault?

War in Europe and the Rise of Raw Propaganda
Raw propaganda is now the rule in Western democracies, especially the US and Britain. On matters of war and peace, ministerial deceit is reported as news. Inconvenient facts are censored, demons are nurtured. The model is corporate spin, the currency of the age.   John Pilger, 18 February, 2022.
See also John Pilger’s December 2020 article The Most Lethal Virus is not COVID. It is War.
See also John Pilger’s film The Coming War on China, which investigates the manufacture of a ‘threat’ from China, which the US now regards as its primary enemy. The situation parallels the U.S./NATO build-up on Russia’s borders: 400 American bases now surround China with ships, missiles and troops, in an arc that extends from Australia north through the Pacific to Japan, Korea and across Eurasia to Afghanistan and India.

The Crisis in Ukraine Is Not About Ukraine. It’s About Germany
The Ukrainian crisis has nothing to do with Ukraine. It’s about Germany and, in particular, a pipeline that connects Germany to Russia called Nord Stream 2. Washington sees the pipeline as a threat to its primacy in Europe and has tried to sabotage the project at every turn.   Mike Whitney. 11 February, 2022.

US Approach to Ukraine and Russia Has ‘Left the Domain of Rational Discourse’
Noam Chomsky. 4 February, 2022.

All Fire and Fury in Ukraine
For those who havent’t seen Ukraine on Fire (UOF), the Oliver Stone-produced documentary on the on-going Ukrainian crisis, it is not overstating the case to say itt’s an essential historical document and one of the most important, insightful political documentaries of recent times. It may also be one of the most portentous.   Greg Maybury. 18 March 2018.

“A warm reminder of humanity’s less barbaric traits”
In the eyes of the corporate media a fascist engaged in ethnic cleansing represents “humanity’s less barbaric traits,” as long at the victims are Russian-speaking.   Ulli Diemer 1 July 2016.

The Six Most Disastrous Interventions of the 21st Century
If we’re to talk about disastrous military or political interventions in the 21st century, I’d say we have seen six main ones so far, wrecking six different countries, including Ukraine. And they were all designed in Washington.   Gary Leupp. 9 October 2015.

The Cross and the Sword: The Making of a Christian Taliban in Ukraine
A look at armed fascist groups in Ukraine.   Marcin Mamon. 18 March 2015.

Why the rise of fascism is again the issue
Fascism is preserved as history, as flickering footage of goose-stepping blackshirts, their criminality terrible and clear. Yet in the same liberal societies, whose war-making elites urge us never to forget, the accelerating danger of a modern kind of fascism is suppressed; for it is their fascism.   John Pilger 26 February 2015.

The US arming of Ukraine and the danger of World War III
The U.S. is arming the right-wing regime in Ukraine with billions of dollars in advanced weaponry. These moves threaten to spark a direct conflict between the US and Russia, two nuclear-armed powers, and ignite a Third World War.   Alex Lantier. 3 February 2015.

How Can the US Accuse Russia of Violating International Law?
How many times has the US sent troops into neighboring countries based upon the claim that it had to protect American citizens during a time of turmoil. We have Grenada in 1983, Panama in 1989, the Dominican Republic in 1965, and Haiti in 2003, for starters. Would the US hesitate for even a moment to send troops into Mexico if the Mexican government were overthrown in an anti-American coup, and if demonstrators who had led to that overthrow were attacking Americans? Of course not.   Dave Lindorff. 4 March 2014.

Overthrowing other people’s governments: The Master List
This list, compiled by the late Bill Blum in 2013, is a handy reminder to look at whenever the U.S. pretends to be concerned about international law and the principle of non-intervention.   William Blum. 1 February 2013.

Media and commentators outside the mainstream
These are sources of comment, analysis, and information outside the ‘Western’ corporate-state propaganda nexus. It should go without saying, but needs to be said again, that no source should ever be read, viewed, or listened to uncritically. These sources all have their biases, and they may well get things wrong. However, they are serious, in the sense that they try to look at evidence and make sense of it, rather than simply throwing out unsupported opinions. Despite their faults, their track record is, on the whole, much better than that of the mainstream corporate-state media. They are listed in alphabetical order.

News & Analysis
Antiwar.com
Consortium News
Grayzone
Mint Press
World Beyond War

Media Criticism
FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting)
Media Lens

Individuals
Noam Chomsky
Jonathan Cook
Yves Engler
Glenn Greenwald
Chris Hedges
Caitlin Johnstone
Diana Johnstone
Dimitri Lascaris
John Mearsheimer
Moon of Alabama
John Pilger
Sahra Wagenknecht
A Socialist in Canada

State/Corporate Media
Al Jazeera – Qatari broadcaster/website. Pro-‘Western’, but reporting is often of a higher standard than state broadcasters such as the CBC or BBC, let alone CNN or the New York Times or Washington Post.
RT.com – Russian broadcaster/website. Pro-Russian bias, of course, but valuable to anyone who wants to know the Russian perspective. Reporting on the war is more balanced than that of ‘Western’ media.

Statements on the Crisis

* Asian socialists condemn Russia's war on Ukraine, NATO expansionism

* Bolshevik Tendency: On military vs political support

* Code Pink, Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, No To NATO network: Stop the War in Ukraine. Russian Troops Out. No to NATO expansion.

* Erklärung zur Abstimmung über den Ukraine-Antrag von SPD/CDU/CSU, Bündnis 90/DIE GRÜNEN und FDP

* International Marxist Tendency (Russia)

* The main enemy is at home

* National call to Trudeau government to de-escalate conflict between Russia and NATO over Ukraine

* National Committee of Solidarity: Russia Out of Ukraine - Solidarity with Ukraine’s people! No to NATO, now or ever!

* A Proposed Solution to the Ukraine War from the Los Alamos Study Group: “An end to the invasion and war in Ukraine can only be guaranteed if Russia’s security is itself guaranteed. Security is largely indivisible. Security for one state requires security for others.”

* Pugwash Statement on the War in Ukraine

* United National Anti-war Coalition (U.S.)

Russia’s Position
Statement by Vladimir Putin – Movement toward peace requires knowing the other side: this is the Russian government’s position.

Peace Actions
Peace in Ukraine

Related Topics in the Connexions Subject Index:
Intervention – Militarism – NATO – Russia – Ukraine – U.S. Foreign Policy – U.S. Imperialism – War – War Crimes

Page compiled by Ulli Diemer
March 2022 - October 2023