Ukraine and its failed attempt to move closer to the west in 2014

Ukraine gained full independence as a country on Dec. 1, 1991 by a vote of the people of the entire country. The U.S.S.R. officially fell apart on Dec. 26, 1991. The former Soviet Union was replaced by 15 independent countries, including Ukraine.

Barack Obama was a U.S. Senator for Illinois, from 2005-2008. ”As a U.S. Senator, Obama won $48 million in federal funding to help Ukraine destroy thousands of tons of guns & ammunition.” Weapons that were not available to the Ukranian Army when Putin invaded and illegally annexed Crimea into Russia, in March, 2014.

“In August, 2005, Obama traveled to Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine with Sen. Lugar of Indiana, touring a conventional weapons site.” The $48 million was used to destroy 400,000 small arms, 1,000 anti-aircraft missiles, and more than 15,000 tons of ammunition. Obama proclaimed eliminating Ukraine’s stockpile of weapons would ensure ”the safety of the Ukranian people & people around the world, by keeping them out of conflicts around the world.”-nationalreview.com. 2/24/22. Obama single handedly took away Ukraine’s ammunition stockpile.

Putin’s puppet President of Ukraine, Yanukovych, was ousted as President in Feb., 2014. ”The Ukranian military was starved of funds by pro-Russian President Yanukovych. Why was Yanukovych ousted ? First, ”opponents accused him of enriching himself, his family, and cronies while in power.” Second, Ukraine was on the verge of reaching a partnership deal with the European Union. Yanukovych abandoned the E.U. deal at the last minute, which lead to a ”violent campaign to push him from power.”…”But it was the deaths of at least 88 people, many of them protesters shot dead by uniformed snipers in 48 hours of bloodshed, that ultimately brought him down.”-bbc.com. 2/28/2014. This was called the Maidan protest movement, and attracted some 25,000 protesters on Feb. 18, 2014.-Britannica.com.

“Under E.U. pressure, Yanukovych signed a deal to transfer powers to Parliament and hold early elections. But within hours, he fled the capital out of fear of being killed, and his admInistration crumbled.”…”As he headed for Russia, Kyiv’s new rulers issued an arrest warrant for his role in the ”mass murder of innocent civilians.”

Yanukovych was elected in 2004, and the victory was later declared fraudulent. This lead to huge protests in Kyiv that became known as the Orange Revolution. ”Within hours of his departure in Feb., 2014, Ukrainians were able to see for themselves the opulence of his palatial retreat, surrounded by 345 acres of grounds, a sauna, a private zoo; in stark contrast to the grinding poverty that afflicted many Ukranians.”…”Hundreds of documents were found nearby, revealing lavish spending and alleged corruption.”

So, why did Yanukovych abandon the E.U. deal ? Because he ”demanded substantial (personal) compensation” from the E.U., and the E.U. refused his demand. On the other side of the coin, Russia was tightening the economic screws on Ukraine, if they signed a deal with the E.U., moving Ukraine closer to the west.-bbc.com. 2/28/2014. Upon fleeing to Russia, Yanukovych was impeached by Ukraine’s parliament and an interm government was put in place.

Conclusion: Given this scenario, and this point in time, this was the perfect time for Putin to invade Crimea, when Ukraine’s government was unsettled. Then Russia proceeds to annex Crimea and incorporate it into the Russian Federation, and the annexation is not internationally recognized. Given that Yanukovych screwed up the E.U. deal because he couldn’t extort the E.U. for personal gain, given Russia absolutely did not want Ukraine signing a deal with the E.U.. Given that Obama had completely de-weaponized Ukraine. Given that Ukraine surrendered their entire nuclear arsenal in the Budapest memorandum of 1994, Ukraine was ripe for Putin’s invasion; part of Putin’s ultimate goal to reunite the old Soviet Union. / Done