Have you been to Russia recently? Cause I sure have. I also have relatives who live inside that country (trying to get out), so saying I know nothing about Russia is absolute crap.

Saying that you've been to Russia is like saying that you once were on planet Earth, in Luxemburg and have absolute and clear understanding of this planet and its inhabitants. It is too big of a country with a lot of people. It should change, but stay were it is.

Not going to deny it's a big country, but so is Canada. So is the states. What's your point?

Not to judge and condemn the whole country because of its rulers.

I am living in Russia. What are you wrote is ranged from over-simplicity to wrong. If you seen Russia from window while traveling to the relatives for couple days does not mean that you understood everything.

Situations like that are always complex.
And to understand it, one will need to learn about the country's history and culture (and not just recent, but for the last few hundred years at least), cross-reference information from different sides and different sources, keeping in mind that there's no such thing as unbiased source. Also, learning not only about Ukrainian history and culture, but about its neighbors' won't go amiss.
But that's difficult, time-consuming, and more you'll learn, less likely you'll come to some simple and clear conclusion and more likely understand that there's no absolute truth.
Also, by the time you'll be able to comprehend the situation, everyone will move on to some other country in search for oil or watercolors or something like that. And that's no good.

Luckily, humankind invented some nifty surrogates for critical thinking: snap judgment, stereotyping, bigotry, propaganda, black and white thinking, etc.
They are easy, comfy, understandable by anyone, cost-effective and time-saving.
All you need to do is to listen to someone you trust (surely they've done that "learning and thinking stuff" themselves), someone from the country (why would they be biased?), or someone ever been to the country (tourists know it all), or even someone you fancy (some of the newsreaders are so sexy).
Listen to what they're saying and assume it as your own opinion, and that's it.


And the ironic thing is, is that most people are well aware of these "quick solutions" and 100% sure they're not gonna fall into them, or at least will be able to tell and stop themselves in time.

100% agree, one thing is to visit a place another biiiiiig one is to actually live there.
+1 to your comment :)

well it's up to starmaker and a few other to keep us updated on the info!

I don't hate starmaker even if she blocked me for being angry at her vitriol back then! eh - shit happens? over in russia I know that if you dress too well hoodlums and or former Cossacks will Kill you steal your clothing and harvest your organs for sale on the medical black market over there! see I know don't think I don't know I've been to hell even! thats where the grey aliens are Manufactured from!

Hey, you wrote my post, thanks :-)

(+1)

I hope the Ukrainian people won't be miffed when they find out that they may be paying EU prices for GOG and Steam games in the future, not the cheaper Russian prices. :(

And if there really were also neo-nazis in the riots who wanted to overthrow the current government, don't be surprised if all the swastikas and such are replaced with "Hello Kitty" figures in the German versions of games that you'll be playing.

Becoming closer with EU has its price.

Well you can't really blame EU for publishers decision to lumb whole of europe, including non-members, into same price region. And while not impossible, I somehow doupt just making closer ties with EU would move Ukraine from Russian price region to European one. Oh and it's German law, not EU one, that forbits swastics in Germany.

EU has it faults, and they are not few, so you don't need to blame EU for other people's/countries/corporations faults.

More russian horror (warning contains graphic and horrific images)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZUBbL-E184[/youtube]

Where did the "russian" part come from?

And there we go.
Like Ossetia and Abkazia (or whatever the names are) in Georgia - witness the rebirth of Crimea.

What will the regions around Odessa and Khakiv do?
Will the Ukrainian army try to enter Crimea?

Stay tuned... for the neverending progression of history in its tragic and glorious humanity.


PS: Any Russian forumers in support of this intervention? What are the reasons being offered? Illegitimate government and safeguarding ethnic minorities as usual?