Ukraine's latest challenge: oligarchs with private armies

I live in Russian town Vladivostok since 1967, before that I did live in small miner's settlement in Southern Yakutia, an autonomous republic of the USSR. Do you think something is wrong with places?

As I recall, Soviet Republics weren’t too autonomous.

It’s pertinent, because this is a site for people dedicated to individual freedom. You on the other hand have a strong interest in Russian nationalism. I wanted to know if you were still there or if you had immigrated to the U.S.

Your English is understandable, but you are obviously not a fluent native speaker.

I had hoped Russia would become free after 1989. There is no reason for the U.S. and Russia to be adversaries, but I guess Russia needs an important enemy.

Capilalism didn’t cause any disaster in 1929, human greed did, and human greed exists in communism just as much as in capitalism. That said, FDR’s socialism is what created the Depression. And at the height of that Depression we has poverty for many, but as I recall Stalin was busy starving tens of millions of Ukrainians to death and filling the gulag with all the remaining free thinkers.
We’re not as bad as you presume, but we do raise a stink when a policeman acts out of line or the law is abusive. That’s what free men do.

Degree of autonomy can be different of course. My birth certificate is written in two languages - Yakut and Russian. There were local newspapers and radio broadcasts on two languages too. As kid I was not interested much what autonomy really was. I do not think it would be possible for Yakutia to develop any independent economy and culture besides paleostatic one because of cold climate and extremely low density of populace.

It is questionable if freedom per se has so high value. Would you be happy to live in area with criminally inclined individuals and no police patrolling nearby?
I do not quite understand what is your perception of Russian nationalism. My maternal granddad arrived to Amur region from Ukraine, his surname was Linsky, evidently Pole one, my paternal granddad was Transbaikal Cossack, his wife was half-Mongolian Christened woman. My best friends since childhood were Tatars, Poles,Germans, Russans, my favorite first teacher was German woman. My coach in wrestling was Mongolian, and I have great respect to him. My ex-wife is Ukrainian.
I can read in English almost with same speed as in Russian, but do not dare to claim that I can write. And practically cannot speak because had no opportunity and need. I live in Vladivostok, town near China and North Korea borders. BTW my daughter visited town Portland, Oregon, two years ago. Judging by rules in US Consulate USA are police state lol. I served in Bank of Russia, and rules for visitors there are much less strict.
I never had intention to emigrate. I am rather traditionalist than rootless cosmopolite :) I think man must make better place where he lives and not leave parents, relatives, friends and country seeking opportunity to live at other people account.
Sough I like to travel.
Russia has no need in enemies, it is US financiers who have need in big force major to write off cosmic size debts. War always was reliable way to solve economic problems.
In USSR times Soviet people had big interest in USA culture and technology, their opinion about USA was much better than today in Russia.
I like FR as source of information about life in the USA and opinions of US citizens on different subjects.

As I remember FDR's socialism was reaction on financial collapse, its purpose was preventing humanitarian catastrophe. Crises of overproduction occurred not once under capitalism. There is opinion that Rothschild ordered to Marx investigation of nature of capitalist economy and causes of crises; so appeared his famous book.
Stalin could not starve to death tens millions Ukrainians because of total populace in Ukraine was circa 25 millions and this number included Russians, Poles, Jews, Germans, Greeks, others. About 70% of Soviet industry was in Ukraine, Ukraine was main agricultural region of the USSR. Total depopulation of Ukraine would cause immediate collapse of the USSR. Until now nobody presented no single documented orders directed at intentional starvation of Ukrainians. But there are documents of Soviet leadership directed to relieve this disaster. State grain purchase for Ukraine was diminished at 5 times, 50% of total number of tractors produced in the USSR was directed to Ukraine, state acquired several hundreds thousands horses in Belarus for Ukraine, additional quantities of flour was directed to Ukraine. Big regions in Russia and Kazakhstan too were affected by famine and USSR was in economic blockade. Western powers denied to accept gold in payments for contracts on delivery of industrial production and demanded corn.
Famines were usual phenomena in Russian Empire because of insufficient humidity, cold climate and primitive agriculture. In 1900-1913 circa 2 millions peasants have died in Russia. In 1930 unfavorable weather together with mismanagement during accelerated process of modernization of agriculture caused big famine in many regions, some authors do appreciate death toll circa 200 000 - 400 000. It was big tragedy and when anti-Russian propagandists are dancing on the bones it produces bad impression.

Stalin actually had no godlike omnipotence until 1938, he was secretary of Bolshevik party, i.e assistant, even not president. Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Bukharin were more influential in Bolshevik Party. Trotsky was father founder of Red Army, he had many followers, many commanders were obliged to him with their position, he was great theoretician and orator while Stalin was manager. It was not him who created CHeKa/NKVD and GULAG. Names of bosses of these structures are well known but not for Western people, I wonder why.
May be it is big surprise to some people that Stalin was busy to develop education system in 90% illiterate peasant country, to buy modern western equipment for health care system for total monitoring of populace, network of medical cabinets for observation of pregnant women and kitchens for feeding infants. He popularized hygienic measures, established system of obligatory safety measures on working places, popularized sport activity, has built numerous sanatoriums for ordinary people, summer camps for teenagers, palaces of culture for creative activity. Kids acquire opportunity to attend modeling sport and arts circles at schools and special centers. In every village were arranged libraries with books of best authors from all World. May be you never heard such names Stanislawsky, Eisenshtein, Shostakovich, Sholokhov, Ulanova but them and many others were famous in Russia.
Do you seriously think that without free thinkers Soviet workers, engineers, scientists, managers would be able to design weapon that was surprise to Germans, to evacuate 1000+ big plants with personnel to East in few weeks after start of war and overproduced Germany despite all European industry and populace at their disposal? Just for comparison total populace of the USSR in 1941 was 180 millions, 30% of it were Central Asians many of them without knowledge of Russian; in few weeks USSR has lost territory with 40 millions and big part of industry. So who waged and has won war, produced weapon and food when all who were not starved to death were placed in GULAG?

I do not presume that US people are bad, if you did not kill each other and are socialized enough to have families, education and all such there must be sufficient percentage of adequate persons.

We’re not as bad as you presume..

Actually we are worse. The USA is a country of Russian haters, programmed for generations.

Even the changes and progress the new Russia has made in the last 25 yrs are not appreciated. Instead we, our congress and Nato have been in a senseless defaco war against the Russian people themselves as much as their leaders.

The argument for hate, a Communist and atheist USSR, has all but disappeared.

Go figure.