Excellent work and summation of the history. It’s so odd to me how the very people who speak of “principles,” fail to understand the nuance. There was a civil war occurring in Ukraine after the 2014 putsch. The Russian speaking East wished to continue speaking Russian and have greater independence from Kiev control. The Kiev regime responded to separatist elements by bombing Donetsk City, which only ceased a year ago when Russia overran Marinka and Aavdika, the fortified Ukrainian strongholds from which the missiles flew. It is simplistic to talk of Ukrainian “self-determination” when clearly the Ukrainians of the Eastern oblasts want greater autonomy from the Kiev regime, enough to fight for it.
2) Yes, Zelensky was elected with 70 percent of the vote, but that was because he ran on a peace platform. He promised to end the ongoing Ukrainian civil war that started after the 2014 ousting of Yanukovich, who was from an Eastern oblast, spoke Russian and supported by the people of the East. Sadly, Zelensky, whose first language is Russian, not Ukrainian, could not fulfill his mandate for peace. There is a 2019 video where he goes out to the front and tells the Ukrainian soldiers to stop the aggression against the Donetsk oblast, but they simply mock him.
Sadly, Zelensky threw his lot with the US, EU, Brit militarists, who promised him an endless supply of weapons and funds, not, to “help” the Ukrainians, who have died in great numbers, but to bleed and weaken Russia. These Western militarists cheerled and encouraged the suicidal summer 2023 counteroffensive against Russia that even Ukrainian General Zalushny resisted because he recognized that it would be a foolish, fruitless and suicidal endeavor that would only further deplete his Ukrainian forces.
Excellent piece, fully laid out the steps as top how we got here over the past 35 years or so, but yet, threads on here are here to remind you that Putin and Putin alone is the sole aggressor in all this. He's the lone fascist dictator in this operation, despite decades of evidence supporting the contrary.
Blah blah,blah…none of this matters. The Ukrainian people voted for independence in 1991, and Ukraine became a free and independent nation. In 2022, it was invaded by the Russian Army on Putin‘s orders. That’s what matters. And now, the Ukrainian people are fighting tooth and nail to remain free. And who can blame them. If you lived in Ukraine, would you rather be aligned with the West or become a Russian vassal state? Or perhaps a giant Russian gulag?
And here are poll results from Britain: “It is evident that patriotism has little meaning for a generation when only 11 per cent of them stated they would fight for Britain and 41 percent indicated that there were no circumstances at all in which they would take up arms for their country! What a significant section of 18-27 year olds are really saying is that their nation has no real significance for them and that therefore they bear no responsibility for its future.”
So, no, when the vast majority of men of combat age in NATO countries say they won’t fight to DEFEND their homelands, I don’t think Putin needs to worry much about defending Russia from a NATO attack. He knows that the people of Western Europe are psychologically and morally demilitarized, which explains why he ordered his military to invade Ukraine. Having experienced the horrors of Soviet occupation after WWII, maybe the nations of Eastern Europe will fight the Russians, but not the Western Europeans who disdain their own countries more than they do Putin’s Russia. Which is why the Trump Administration is washing its hands of Western Europe. Why should American soldiers fight to defend people who won’t fight to defend themselves?
“Legitimate act of self-defense?” When it comes to ignorance, that comment takes the cake. Go and learn about the underfunded, undermanned, and under equipped military forces of NATO nations. Go and read the polls showing that a majority of Germans wouldn’t fight to defend their country no matter what the circumstances. NATO is a paper tiger that is totally incapable of launching any sort of large scale and coordinated military offensive of any sort. But that’s a side note to what’s happening in Ukraine right now. The Ukrainians aren’t fighting to join NATO or to save Europe from Putin. They are fighting for their freedom, their culture, and their very lives. If Putin wanted peace, he could have it tomorrow by withdrawing the Russian army from Ukrainian territory. But his goal is not peace; it’s to conquer Ukraine for the purpose of absorbing its people and resources in a desperate effort to keep a declining Russia from becoming nothing more than an irrelevant backwater.
Go and learn about Putin's repeated warnings (since at least 2007) to the West about NATO's aggressive push East towards Russian borders, and how this was viewed as an existential issue by Russia.
Go and learn more about how Ukraine was deliberately set up by NATO (read, Washington DC) as a NATO staging ground/ forward operating base on Russia's borders, since at least 2014.
Go and learn more about how Washington DC arrogantly ignored Russia's repeated warnings vis a vis NATO using Ukraine as a proxy, including Ambassador Burns famous 'Nyet means Nyet' cable from Moscow to DC, leaked by Wikileaks in 2009 (I think).
Go and learn more about the Kremlin's repeated efforts to reach peace deals with Ukraine, only to see them breached, a deliberate western policy (admitted by Merkel in 2023) designed to hoodwink Putin in order to build up Ukraine's military power.
Go and learn more about how Ukraine and Russia had a ceasefire deal in place in 2022, only for it to be once again undermined by western powers (in that case, the horrible Boris Johnson being the messenger boy for DC).
You'll find that in reality, Russia's 'invasion' of Ukraine was an entirely legitimate preventive act of self defence, which Moscow tried to avoid for decades.
You'll also find that the collective West is entirely to blame for everything that has happened since, in particular Westminster and DC - an abject disaster and a humiliating strategic defeat, the worst ever suffered by the West.
Actions have consequences - Russia now holds all the cards. It emerges far stronger on any metric, than it was in early 2022. For western nations, it gets worse each day that passes without resolution in Ukraine.
A modern revolution against billionaires, the 1%, and multinational corporations would require a multi-pronged approach, focusing on economic, political, and social transformation. Here’s how it could be structured for success in the U.S. and then expanded globally:
1. Mass Mobilization & Awareness
• Build a Movement: Grassroots organizing is essential. Leverage social media, alternative media, and in-person activism to educate and mobilize people.
• Common Narrative: Unite working-class people, small business owners, and the middle class with a shared vision against economic exploitation.
• Expose Corruption: Investigative journalism, whistleblowers, and independent media must reveal how the elite manipulate the system.
2. Economic Resistance
• Boycotts & Strikes: Organize mass boycotts of multinational corporations and support local businesses. A coordinated refusal to participate in exploitative economies can be powerful.
• Worker Cooperatives & Unions: Encourage worker ownership of businesses and support unionization to shift economic power.
• Alternative Currencies & Decentralization: Promote cryptocurrencies, local currencies, and barter systems to bypass corporate-controlled financial systems.
3. Political Action & Systemic Change
• Elect Anti-Corporate Politicians: Support candidates who reject corporate money and advocate for wealth redistribution, strong antitrust laws, and worker protections.
• Campaign Finance Reform: Push for public funding of elections and limits on corporate lobbying.
• Nationalization of Key Industries: Advocate for public ownership of healthcare, energy, and critical infrastructure to remove corporate profit motives.
4. Legal & Policy Battles
• Break Up Monopolies: Reinstate aggressive antitrust laws to dismantle corporate giants like Amazon, Google, and major banks.
• Tax the Ultra-Rich: Implement wealth taxes, close tax loopholes, and offshore tax havens to redistribute wealth.
• Universal Basic Income (UBI): Provide a social safety net to empower individuals to resist corporate exploitation.
5. Building Parallel Institutions
• Public Banks & Credit Unions: Reduce reliance on Wall Street by shifting money into member-owned financial institutions.
• Independent Tech & Media: Develop alternative digital platforms that aren’t controlled by billionaires.
• Sustainable Agriculture & Local Production: Reduce corporate food control by promoting local farms and community-supported agriculture (CSA).
6. Global Expansion
• International Alliances: Partner with movements in Europe, Latin America, and Asia to coordinate global action.
• Worker Solidarity Networks: Unions and labor organizations must collaborate across borders to fight multinational corporations together.
• Debt Resistance: Support developing nations in rejecting exploitative IMF and World Bank policies.
7. Direct Action & Civil Disobedience
• Occupy & Blockades: Disrupt corporate infrastructure, such as major financial centers, ports, and supply chains.
• Digital Resistance: Hacktivism, leaks, and exposing corporate corruption through digital means.
• Mass Civil Disobedience: Peaceful but disruptive actions such as tax resistance, rent strikes, and occupying public spaces.
8. Defense Against Repression
• Legal Defense Funds: Provide support for activists and whistleblowers facing legal action.
• Community Protection Networks: Ensure protests and actions are safeguarded against police and corporate-funded repression.
• Secure Communication: Use encrypted messaging and decentralized platforms to prevent surveillance.
Conclusion
This revolution must be sustained, global, and multifaceted—targeting economic, political, and social structures simultaneously. It requires organization, resilience, and a clear vision to succeed against powerful corporate and billionaire interests.
Yet another great article! Keep up the good work despite the comments from those who have done very little or no research into the issue. Oliver Stones documentary gives a very clear picture into American interference and John Mearsheimer has spoken extensively on the dangers of interfering in Ukraine and the consequences.
You seem to have forgotten s few things too, such as the US organizing the Maidan coup in 2014⁸ and Victoria Nuland appointing the US puppet president, and the suppression of the eastern Russian speaking provinces.
Thank you Ricky, for thoroughly outlining this history! But I think you left out an important point - that this war in Ukraine follows exactly Brzeziński's idea of invading Russia through Ukraine. Back in November, I published my proposal for peace in Europe, and sent that to both the President of the Russian Federation and to office of the President of Ukraine. But nobody listens. https://kathleenmccroskey.substack.com/p/peace-requires-heavy-lifting
I've been reading these comments, so many ppl are so far off-base, sorry that you have to keep defending your article! The etching effect of propaganda can result in permanent scarring.
Exactly !!! Reading the comments I was beginning to wonder what was it all about:
- something in the air?
- a thing or two in drinking water?
- natural soil radiation perhaps!?
I mean, it can't be just neoliberal brainwashing at work that drives so many commenters totally off of the given arguments, added proofs and very meaning of this awesome inventory of facts. FACTS. Recorded and documented actions, not opinions of the cited source or article author.
Truth will set y'all free, if you make a choice to seriously contemplate it.
Actually, the neo-liberal think tanks number in the 100's around the world, they are all interlinked and they have over the years developed methods to get their frame of thinking fully endorsed by academia and all levels of media, and they are funded and fully supported by Big Business, who are the actual beneficiaries of this propaganda. Remember what John Dewy said in 1905: "Politics is the shadow cast upon society by big business."
The US began meddling in Russian internal affairs with the Russo-Japanese war of 1905-1907 in which the Japanese were financed by American Wall Street Banker Jacob Schiff. This was followed by the same Schiff financing the Bolsovick overthrow and execution of the tsar and his family. Schiff then ordered Lenin to reduce Russian influence by drawing the 1917 to 2022 borders of Ukraine. The US CIA funded a 1945 to 1953 guerilla war in which the lviv based Ukrainian Nazis tried to separate from the Soviet Union. It was a bloody war that cost over 10000 Soviet soldiers their lives. Obama next took up the sward to break Ukraine away from Russia , starting in 2011 with Victoria Nuland in charge. That project resulted in the 2014 overthrow of the elected government and one installed by the US. Obama 2011 directive called for the genocide of the majority Russian population of the country, particularly those who had voted for a Russia friendly government. Putin intervened in 2022 to stop the genocide which at that point had claimed about 15000 lives and caused tens of thousands to flee to Russia.
An intelligent and articulate revelation of what many people have suspected all along. The war machine is interested in one thing only.....war! Anywhere and at all costs. I'm simply surprised that few have questioned how the comedic actor Zelensky got to be president in the first place
1) Donald has cemented Ukraine into the strategic low-point that Joe drove it to.
2) Donald is LOOTING Ukraine.
3) Donald is serving Ukraine up to Russia, in "negotiations" that exclude Ukraine's input & interests.
People don't have to be deluded about "The West," or be pro-Joe, or be pro-BoJo, or be pro-War, in order to be anti-Putin & anti-trump. These are not "peace" negotiations; this IS a forced surrender, with Russia's army in Ukraine's face, America's knife in Ukraine's back, and trump's filthy little hands in Ukraine's purse.
It’s sooooooo weird that a British Prime Minister is eager to get into a world war. That’s so out of character for them!
Excellent work and summation of the history. It’s so odd to me how the very people who speak of “principles,” fail to understand the nuance. There was a civil war occurring in Ukraine after the 2014 putsch. The Russian speaking East wished to continue speaking Russian and have greater independence from Kiev control. The Kiev regime responded to separatist elements by bombing Donetsk City, which only ceased a year ago when Russia overran Marinka and Aavdika, the fortified Ukrainian strongholds from which the missiles flew. It is simplistic to talk of Ukrainian “self-determination” when clearly the Ukrainians of the Eastern oblasts want greater autonomy from the Kiev regime, enough to fight for it.
2) Yes, Zelensky was elected with 70 percent of the vote, but that was because he ran on a peace platform. He promised to end the ongoing Ukrainian civil war that started after the 2014 ousting of Yanukovich, who was from an Eastern oblast, spoke Russian and supported by the people of the East. Sadly, Zelensky, whose first language is Russian, not Ukrainian, could not fulfill his mandate for peace. There is a 2019 video where he goes out to the front and tells the Ukrainian soldiers to stop the aggression against the Donetsk oblast, but they simply mock him.
Sadly, Zelensky threw his lot with the US, EU, Brit militarists, who promised him an endless supply of weapons and funds, not, to “help” the Ukrainians, who have died in great numbers, but to bleed and weaken Russia. These Western militarists cheerled and encouraged the suicidal summer 2023 counteroffensive against Russia that even Ukrainian General Zalushny resisted because he recognized that it would be a foolish, fruitless and suicidal endeavor that would only further deplete his Ukrainian forces.
Excellent piece, fully laid out the steps as top how we got here over the past 35 years or so, but yet, threads on here are here to remind you that Putin and Putin alone is the sole aggressor in all this. He's the lone fascist dictator in this operation, despite decades of evidence supporting the contrary.
Blah blah,blah…none of this matters. The Ukrainian people voted for independence in 1991, and Ukraine became a free and independent nation. In 2022, it was invaded by the Russian Army on Putin‘s orders. That’s what matters. And now, the Ukrainian people are fighting tooth and nail to remain free. And who can blame them. If you lived in Ukraine, would you rather be aligned with the West or become a Russian vassal state? Or perhaps a giant Russian gulag?
And here are poll results from Britain: “It is evident that patriotism has little meaning for a generation when only 11 per cent of them stated they would fight for Britain and 41 percent indicated that there were no circumstances at all in which they would take up arms for their country! What a significant section of 18-27 year olds are really saying is that their nation has no real significance for them and that therefore they bear no responsibility for its future.”
So, no, when the vast majority of men of combat age in NATO countries say they won’t fight to DEFEND their homelands, I don’t think Putin needs to worry much about defending Russia from a NATO attack. He knows that the people of Western Europe are psychologically and morally demilitarized, which explains why he ordered his military to invade Ukraine. Having experienced the horrors of Soviet occupation after WWII, maybe the nations of Eastern Europe will fight the Russians, but not the Western Europeans who disdain their own countries more than they do Putin’s Russia. Which is why the Trump Administration is washing its hands of Western Europe. Why should American soldiers fight to defend people who won’t fight to defend themselves?
“Legitimate act of self-defense?” When it comes to ignorance, that comment takes the cake. Go and learn about the underfunded, undermanned, and under equipped military forces of NATO nations. Go and read the polls showing that a majority of Germans wouldn’t fight to defend their country no matter what the circumstances. NATO is a paper tiger that is totally incapable of launching any sort of large scale and coordinated military offensive of any sort. But that’s a side note to what’s happening in Ukraine right now. The Ukrainians aren’t fighting to join NATO or to save Europe from Putin. They are fighting for their freedom, their culture, and their very lives. If Putin wanted peace, he could have it tomorrow by withdrawing the Russian army from Ukrainian territory. But his goal is not peace; it’s to conquer Ukraine for the purpose of absorbing its people and resources in a desperate effort to keep a declining Russia from becoming nothing more than an irrelevant backwater.
Ignorant comment.
Go and learn about Putin's repeated warnings (since at least 2007) to the West about NATO's aggressive push East towards Russian borders, and how this was viewed as an existential issue by Russia.
Go and learn more about how Ukraine was deliberately set up by NATO (read, Washington DC) as a NATO staging ground/ forward operating base on Russia's borders, since at least 2014.
Go and learn more about how Washington DC arrogantly ignored Russia's repeated warnings vis a vis NATO using Ukraine as a proxy, including Ambassador Burns famous 'Nyet means Nyet' cable from Moscow to DC, leaked by Wikileaks in 2009 (I think).
Go and learn more about the Kremlin's repeated efforts to reach peace deals with Ukraine, only to see them breached, a deliberate western policy (admitted by Merkel in 2023) designed to hoodwink Putin in order to build up Ukraine's military power.
Go and learn more about how Ukraine and Russia had a ceasefire deal in place in 2022, only for it to be once again undermined by western powers (in that case, the horrible Boris Johnson being the messenger boy for DC).
You'll find that in reality, Russia's 'invasion' of Ukraine was an entirely legitimate preventive act of self defence, which Moscow tried to avoid for decades.
You'll also find that the collective West is entirely to blame for everything that has happened since, in particular Westminster and DC - an abject disaster and a humiliating strategic defeat, the worst ever suffered by the West.
Actions have consequences - Russia now holds all the cards. It emerges far stronger on any metric, than it was in early 2022. For western nations, it gets worse each day that passes without resolution in Ukraine.
How to start a Revolution!
A modern revolution against billionaires, the 1%, and multinational corporations would require a multi-pronged approach, focusing on economic, political, and social transformation. Here’s how it could be structured for success in the U.S. and then expanded globally:
1. Mass Mobilization & Awareness
• Build a Movement: Grassroots organizing is essential. Leverage social media, alternative media, and in-person activism to educate and mobilize people.
• Common Narrative: Unite working-class people, small business owners, and the middle class with a shared vision against economic exploitation.
• Expose Corruption: Investigative journalism, whistleblowers, and independent media must reveal how the elite manipulate the system.
2. Economic Resistance
• Boycotts & Strikes: Organize mass boycotts of multinational corporations and support local businesses. A coordinated refusal to participate in exploitative economies can be powerful.
• Worker Cooperatives & Unions: Encourage worker ownership of businesses and support unionization to shift economic power.
• Alternative Currencies & Decentralization: Promote cryptocurrencies, local currencies, and barter systems to bypass corporate-controlled financial systems.
3. Political Action & Systemic Change
• Elect Anti-Corporate Politicians: Support candidates who reject corporate money and advocate for wealth redistribution, strong antitrust laws, and worker protections.
• Campaign Finance Reform: Push for public funding of elections and limits on corporate lobbying.
• Nationalization of Key Industries: Advocate for public ownership of healthcare, energy, and critical infrastructure to remove corporate profit motives.
4. Legal & Policy Battles
• Break Up Monopolies: Reinstate aggressive antitrust laws to dismantle corporate giants like Amazon, Google, and major banks.
• Tax the Ultra-Rich: Implement wealth taxes, close tax loopholes, and offshore tax havens to redistribute wealth.
• Universal Basic Income (UBI): Provide a social safety net to empower individuals to resist corporate exploitation.
5. Building Parallel Institutions
• Public Banks & Credit Unions: Reduce reliance on Wall Street by shifting money into member-owned financial institutions.
• Independent Tech & Media: Develop alternative digital platforms that aren’t controlled by billionaires.
• Sustainable Agriculture & Local Production: Reduce corporate food control by promoting local farms and community-supported agriculture (CSA).
6. Global Expansion
• International Alliances: Partner with movements in Europe, Latin America, and Asia to coordinate global action.
• Worker Solidarity Networks: Unions and labor organizations must collaborate across borders to fight multinational corporations together.
• Debt Resistance: Support developing nations in rejecting exploitative IMF and World Bank policies.
7. Direct Action & Civil Disobedience
• Occupy & Blockades: Disrupt corporate infrastructure, such as major financial centers, ports, and supply chains.
• Digital Resistance: Hacktivism, leaks, and exposing corporate corruption through digital means.
• Mass Civil Disobedience: Peaceful but disruptive actions such as tax resistance, rent strikes, and occupying public spaces.
8. Defense Against Repression
• Legal Defense Funds: Provide support for activists and whistleblowers facing legal action.
• Community Protection Networks: Ensure protests and actions are safeguarded against police and corporate-funded repression.
• Secure Communication: Use encrypted messaging and decentralized platforms to prevent surveillance.
Conclusion
This revolution must be sustained, global, and multifaceted—targeting economic, political, and social structures simultaneously. It requires organization, resilience, and a clear vision to succeed against powerful corporate and billionaire interests.
GQ
Yet another great article! Keep up the good work despite the comments from those who have done very little or no research into the issue. Oliver Stones documentary gives a very clear picture into American interference and John Mearsheimer has spoken extensively on the dangers of interfering in Ukraine and the consequences.
Good write-up and good luck with dealing with pro-UA, Banderovite-light crazies. Brainwashed zombies.
So Ukraine abandons NATO aspirations and Putin hands back Crimea and other territories it is occupying? Really???
You seem to have forgotten s few things too, such as the US organizing the Maidan coup in 2014⁸ and Victoria Nuland appointing the US puppet president, and the suppression of the eastern Russian speaking provinces.
Thank you Ricky, for thoroughly outlining this history! But I think you left out an important point - that this war in Ukraine follows exactly Brzeziński's idea of invading Russia through Ukraine. Back in November, I published my proposal for peace in Europe, and sent that to both the President of the Russian Federation and to office of the President of Ukraine. But nobody listens. https://kathleenmccroskey.substack.com/p/peace-requires-heavy-lifting
I've been reading these comments, so many ppl are so far off-base, sorry that you have to keep defending your article! The etching effect of propaganda can result in permanent scarring.
Exactly !!! Reading the comments I was beginning to wonder what was it all about:
- something in the air?
- a thing or two in drinking water?
- natural soil radiation perhaps!?
I mean, it can't be just neoliberal brainwashing at work that drives so many commenters totally off of the given arguments, added proofs and very meaning of this awesome inventory of facts. FACTS. Recorded and documented actions, not opinions of the cited source or article author.
Truth will set y'all free, if you make a choice to seriously contemplate it.
Kudos to the author btw. 👍🏻
Actually, the neo-liberal think tanks number in the 100's around the world, they are all interlinked and they have over the years developed methods to get their frame of thinking fully endorsed by academia and all levels of media, and they are funded and fully supported by Big Business, who are the actual beneficiaries of this propaganda. Remember what John Dewy said in 1905: "Politics is the shadow cast upon society by big business."
The US began meddling in Russian internal affairs with the Russo-Japanese war of 1905-1907 in which the Japanese were financed by American Wall Street Banker Jacob Schiff. This was followed by the same Schiff financing the Bolsovick overthrow and execution of the tsar and his family. Schiff then ordered Lenin to reduce Russian influence by drawing the 1917 to 2022 borders of Ukraine. The US CIA funded a 1945 to 1953 guerilla war in which the lviv based Ukrainian Nazis tried to separate from the Soviet Union. It was a bloody war that cost over 10000 Soviet soldiers their lives. Obama next took up the sward to break Ukraine away from Russia , starting in 2011 with Victoria Nuland in charge. That project resulted in the 2014 overthrow of the elected government and one installed by the US. Obama 2011 directive called for the genocide of the majority Russian population of the country, particularly those who had voted for a Russia friendly government. Putin intervened in 2022 to stop the genocide which at that point had claimed about 15000 lives and caused tens of thousands to flee to Russia.
Excellent. Thank you.
An intelligent and articulate revelation of what many people have suspected all along. The war machine is interested in one thing only.....war! Anywhere and at all costs. I'm simply surprised that few have questioned how the comedic actor Zelensky got to be president in the first place
I already read this since the beginning of the ukraine-russia wars.
Funny enough the real perps behind both wars are the same people.
Okay, but also, Donald is finishing Ukraine off:
1) Donald has cemented Ukraine into the strategic low-point that Joe drove it to.
2) Donald is LOOTING Ukraine.
3) Donald is serving Ukraine up to Russia, in "negotiations" that exclude Ukraine's input & interests.
People don't have to be deluded about "The West," or be pro-Joe, or be pro-BoJo, or be pro-War, in order to be anti-Putin & anti-trump. These are not "peace" negotiations; this IS a forced surrender, with Russia's army in Ukraine's face, America's knife in Ukraine's back, and trump's filthy little hands in Ukraine's purse.