July 29, 2014
A Malaysian Airline flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed on July 17 in strife-torn eastern Ukraine. While international efforts have yet to discover the cause of the crash, it is clear that this tragedy was brought about by the ongoing conflicts in this region in which Russia has allegedly been involved.
In Ukraine, hostility between East and West continues. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in southern Ukraine in March escalated the level of the conflict.
When Russia declared its incorporation of Crimea, President Vladimir Putin in his speech proclaimed that the nation will protect ethnic Russians living outside Russia. He also hinted at a possible military intervention in Ukrainian regions other than Crimea.
As if reacting to the Russian leader’s speech, in the eastern region bordering on Russia, pro-Russian armed insurgents occupied the office buildings of local governments and the police. In May, those insurgents forcibly held local referendums in two states, Donezk and Lugansk, regarding separation from Ukraine, and declared the independence of these two states. This act, however, violated Ukraine’s supreme law stating that a national referendum is the only way to legally incorporate territorial changes.
The Russian media admitted to the commitment of Russian nationalists and former Russian military personnel to support pro-Russian rebels through various ways such as the supply of weapons.
Judging from these facts, as German vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel pointed out, the “ghosts of nationalism are being let out of the bottle” by Russia’s annexation of Crimea, leading to the Malaysian plane crash.
Russia has a great influence on the pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. Russia should play a role in having them ensure that an international investigation of the crash site can proceed to determine the cause of the crash.
Past related articles:
> Russia’s incorporation of Crimea threatens world peace [March 19, 2014]
> Annul Russia’s Annexation of Crimea - Hegemonic overturning of world peace order impermissible: Shii [March 19, 2014]
In Ukraine, hostility between East and West continues. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in southern Ukraine in March escalated the level of the conflict.
When Russia declared its incorporation of Crimea, President Vladimir Putin in his speech proclaimed that the nation will protect ethnic Russians living outside Russia. He also hinted at a possible military intervention in Ukrainian regions other than Crimea.
As if reacting to the Russian leader’s speech, in the eastern region bordering on Russia, pro-Russian armed insurgents occupied the office buildings of local governments and the police. In May, those insurgents forcibly held local referendums in two states, Donezk and Lugansk, regarding separation from Ukraine, and declared the independence of these two states. This act, however, violated Ukraine’s supreme law stating that a national referendum is the only way to legally incorporate territorial changes.
The Russian media admitted to the commitment of Russian nationalists and former Russian military personnel to support pro-Russian rebels through various ways such as the supply of weapons.
Judging from these facts, as German vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel pointed out, the “ghosts of nationalism are being let out of the bottle” by Russia’s annexation of Crimea, leading to the Malaysian plane crash.
Russia has a great influence on the pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. Russia should play a role in having them ensure that an international investigation of the crash site can proceed to determine the cause of the crash.
Past related articles:
> Russia’s incorporation of Crimea threatens world peace [March 19, 2014]
> Annul Russia’s Annexation of Crimea - Hegemonic overturning of world peace order impermissible: Shii [March 19, 2014]
