Why Ukraine?
Hello there, guys!
I started writing this post 2 days ago, on Friday 28th July when we celebrated the Day of Christianization of Rus' and Statehood Day of Ukraine. Two significant dates in our life. And therefore this post will not be about vacations, shopping, or the beauty of nature, but about Ukraine and things you don't know about it (I am almost sure 😀)
As a foreign reader, you may have asked yourself what was the cause of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Why did Russia dare to break all established rules and attack Ukraine in the 21st century?
Perhaps you have heard versions about the role of the USA and NATO, which allegedly benefit from this war. After all, war always benefits someone. But it was the Russian army who crossed the state border, and it did it for the first time in 2014.
So, after the collapse of the USSR, 15 countries were formed that declared their independence. So why did Russia openly attack Ukraine? Everything is simple. Russia claims the role of the newest empire and superpower. And this is impossible without Ukraine. That's all.
And then the interesting begins. In 980, Prince Volodymyr began a religious reform, as a result of which Russia switched from paganism to Christianity. We celebrate this very event on July 28. At that time, no states existed on the lands of present-day Russia. Even Moscow was founded later (first mentioned in 1147). And our state was simply called Rus, or the Great Principality of Kyiv, and not Kyivan Rus because there was no other Rus.
Muscovite tsars rewrote history for many centuries, starting with Ivan the Terrible. In those days, the only reliable source was manuscripts, from which handwritten copies were made, not always accurate, sometimes intentionally. Then the originals burned, and the new version remained. And so on. Thus, century after century, Muscovites created myths that Muscovy had hereditary rights to Rus and that Muscovy and Kyivan Rus had common historical roots.
As a result, the younger sister (Moscow) turned into an older brother, stealing his name (Rus -> Russia) and subordinating the church to herself in an almost thuggish way. Ukraine was, so to speak, an internal name, that is, that is what Ukrainians called their country among themselves. For the rest, it was Russia.
For Russia, the antiquity of history is extremely important because, without a great past, it is impossible to create a great empire. Therefore, it is necessary to correct one's historical past, and even to appropriate someone else's. This applied equally to history and culture, when a huge number of outstanding Ukrainian artists turned first into Soviet, and later into Russian (as you understand, not by their own will). In my opinion, there is only one category in which Russia is the undisputed leader - the creation of fakes.
This is a thing of the past. There is another reason, more understandable and close to modern society - money, or rather wealth.
It turns out that Ukraine is a rich country. Although I know that if you come and compare the standard of living of Ukrainians and Germans or French, the comparison will not be in our favor.
What would you say if you found out that Ukraine ranks 4th in the world in terms of the total value of natural resources? No way! Let me surprise you with numbers.
1st place in Europe in terms of explored extracted reserves of uranium ores.
2nd place in Europe, and 10th place in the world in terms of titanium ore reserves.
2nd place in the world in terms of explored reserves of manganese ores (2.3 billion tons or 12% of world reserves).
2nd place in the world in terms of iron ore reserves (30 billion tons).
2nd place in Europe in terms of reserves of mercury ores.
3rd place in Europe (13th in the world) in terms of shale gas reserves (22 trillion cubic meters).
3rd largest exporter of iron in the world.
Want a clue as to where most of these stocks are located? In the Black Sea (Crimea) and in the Donetsk region. Now tell me about the protection of the Russian population and so on. Russia is not able to take care of even the minimal welfare of its people!
Now it's worth mentioning the Russian bombs that are sown in the Ukrainian fields and the recent shelling of the ports of Olesya and Mykolaiv, specifically the grain terminals. Russia is trying to prevent Ukraine from selling grain, particularly to African countries. Instead, she offered them her grain for free. How do you like this struggle with competitors? It turns out that it is possible. In front of all those populists who sell their people the struggle for peace, ecology, and human's rights all over the world.
A few more figures from the agricultural sector and industry:
1st in Europe by land area.
1st in Europe for ammonia production.
3rd place in the world by the area of chernozem (25% of the world volume).
1st place in the world in the export of sunflower and sunflower oil.
2nd place in the world for barley production and 4th place for barley export.
3rd largest producer and 4th largest exporter of corn in the world.
4th largest exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants in the world;
The world's 4th largest manufacturer of missile launchers.
4th largest producer of potatoes in the world.
5th largest producer of rye in the world.
5th place in the world for bee production (75,000 tons).
8th place in the world in terms of wheat exports.
9th place in the world for the production of chicken eggs.
When I came across this information I didn't believe it. It appeared on the Internet in 2021, and then before the war itself, in the winter of 2022. It was published by serious Ukrainian media with reference to Oleksandr Sokolovsky, a member of the Presidium of the Council of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and to Andrew J. Futey the President of the Ukrainian Congressional Committee of America (USA).
Okay, I can talk a lot about it. I just wanted to share with you what impressed me
Meanwhile, yesterday I turned 6 years. 😊😂🌺
Remembering how this journey began for me, I had no idea where it would lead me 6 years later. But I know for sure that I am still here because of you and thanks to you.
I dream of the day when only birds will fly in the sky over my Ukraine. Okay, and civilian aircraft. No bombs and missiles. When I plan my day regardless of possible air raids. When everyone can go home alive.
💙💛
Beautiful, and s great to read about the “other” side of your country while everyone now thinks about war when your country is mentioned! It’s so much more. It’s all so unfair , Slava Ukraine!
Love from Rotterdam
Before the war, some had no idea about Ukraine and where it is located. And I really want to know more about us.
Thank you for your comment, dear Brit!
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(no space) to get help on Hive. InfoOhhhh and happy 6 th hiversary
Cheers and !BEER 😉
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@zirochka
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Sending love and cyber hugs!❤
I learned some interesting facts
from reading your post.
Thank you for sharing with us!
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Had no ideia about the richness in your country, and it makes sense, unfortunately: power, money and greed, the fuel of basically all wars. Hope the nonsense stops as soon as possible.
And on a happier note, congratulations on the Hiveversary!!! 6 years makes you an OG on the blockchain! :) Cheers and !BEER
Not only you, many ukrainians aren't awared either.
Thanks for the greeting and you made me google who is OG. 😆😁😂
Made you learn something new too! :))))
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Congrats with your 6th and 1043rd anniversary!
I knew Ukraine had a lot of natural resources.. but not that many..
Happy Anniversary
Thanks! 🎉🎈
Thank you for this excellent post @zirochka! In this "crazy, new normal" world, it is very challenging to know whom / what to believe. Very sad ...
I appreciate, then, the effort you have made to educate the rest of us about the history between Ukraine and Russia. Explains a great deal ... Also, the great wealth God has bestowed upon your land.
For you and your loved ones, I hope your celebration of the July 28th holidays you mention were extra special. Aside from a holy God, I do not know what hope any of us have.
All the best to you and your loved ones, for a better tomorrow! 💙💛
P.S. Also, happy Hive birthday! Keep on keeping on!! 👍🙂
All my loved ones are fine, and my friends who are in the army as well, and every night I pray to God for their safety.
I appreciate your kind words @roleerob!
$WINE
I'm really sorry for Ukraine though
Happy Anniversary to them too
Thank you, @rafzat
Happy six-year anniversary in Hive. You and I chose Hive almost at the same time and I hope to be here for many more years and enjoy it.
Impressive numbers about the richness and importance of Ukraine! I knew you were a special country with great potential but I thought you were somehow following the Russian model because I read about the wealth being amassed by a few oligarchs. Probably not so and even if it is so I hope that now the situation is settled.
It certainly is!
Looking forward to the good news... Slava Ukraina!
In fact, since the collapse of the USSR, we were following Soviet model because it can't be changed in 1 day. And all this time we were trying to move away from the Soviet heritage. Russia, in turn, did everything to keep Ukraine under its influence from the very beginning of Ukrainian independence. They had a lot of money to bribe Ukrainian officials and lobby for the necessary laws (or boycott others), because Moscow kept all Soviet assets, including our money in banks as citizens.
And yes, much of what I mentioned belongs to the oligarchs. We have rich resources, but we need money to extract them. The oligarchs have money, and a large part of them is obtained from cooperation with Russia, legal and not. There is nothing new here, Russian money settles in the pockets of high-ranking officials in Austria, Hungary, etc. These funds influence decisions regarding Russia, but these countries themselves were able to build a democratic and legal state. And we are still on this path. I very much hope that after the war there will be huge changes.
I think there will be big changes, otherwise, if the favorable moment is missed, it will happen like in Romania, which has missed a lot of favorable moments and we are ranked very low in the EU.
I think that it is not important what position the country occupies in the EU, but how the people who live there feel about themselves
Romania is a beautiful country with an interesting history.
I managed to visit some historical places and see incredible landscapes.
I met many friendly people.
And, your country has another plus: you are in the EU and you are in NATO. This situation plays a big role in political schedules
Happy 6th anniversary! I hope all your dreams come true. 🙏 ❤️
Thank you, dear @ellenripley! ❤️💪
This was enlightening 😁
🙂
Happy Hive Birthday dear @zirochka
🎉🎈🎂🎉🎈
Thank you 😊😇
Thanks for the excursion into the history of Ukraine.
I read similar articles and thought why our country is not among the leaders of happiest countries.
Many people need to get rid of the shadow of the USSR
I hope our children can improve our country
So do I.
I have to say, I am awestruck at the way you're able to speak so calmly about Russia's ongoing war. It's not even my homeland (though it's my fiancee's homeland and I was living there when the war began) and even still I find myself clenching my fists and gritting my teeth every time I discuss it.
Yes, and I've written an article debunking the Kremlin's myth that NATO is behind it.
Thank you for this! At the risk of playing "I said it first," I published an article saying basically this (namely, that Ukraine, as the heir of the Grand Principality of Kyiv, is the parent and Russia, descended from Muscovy, is the child, thus making Ukraine the more legitimate heir to the name "Rus") before it became popular, so it is good to hear it from an actual Ukrainian and thus know that I'm not the lone voice crying in the wilderness anymore.
I don't think I've ever met a foreigner who knows our history so well and deeply. You comment is highly appreciated!
Before the war, Ukraine clearly lost the information campaign to Russia because, firstly, it does not have enough money for it, and secondly, thanks to pro-Russian officials in our government (Russia has been taking care of this for a long time).
So you say you and your fiancee lived in Ukraine when the big war began?
Oh, don't be surprised. In the first months, my rage was very great, even fear immediately turned to rage. If I were at least 10 years younger, I probably would have joined the AF too. Over time, I saw that these strong emotions were simply killing me, on a physical level. I was on the verge of depression, and then I began to have symptoms of diseases that I had never heard of before. You know, in those days I remembered stories about how the Cossacks - my ancestors - fought. They went into battle absolutely calm. Once I was struck by words a physio told me during a session - you can even kill calmly. In the end, I had to adapt. At the same time, my attitude towards everything Russian remained as negative as it was at the beginning.
She's Ukrainian, actually. I met her when I lived in Kharkiv and opened an English school (a school that was destroyed by Russian weaponry early on in the war). When we left Kharkiv en route to Poland it was the second time she's had to abandon her home because Russia was destroying it. The first time was in 2014 when she, her mother, and her father (who was originally Crimean) fled from Luhansk.
There are two reasons my blood boils so much at what Russia is doing. One, of course, is because of what they have put my fiancee through (and need we mention what they're doing to the rest of her country?). The other, well... It sounds dirty to say it at this point.
I take Russia's display of barbarism like a personal betrayal because before this, I always admired Russia. I have spent my life obsessed with Russia's language, their music, their literature, I even spent an entire year devoting all of my reading time to the study of Catherine the Great and Grigory Potemkin, just out of mere personal interest. And then to have been there, at ground zero, the day the country I'd always held up as a model, showed the world that it's all a mask and they're nothing but a horde of Neo-Genghizid throwbacks...
...well, imagine being in love with someone who your friends all tell you is no good for you. Imagine that you've taken their side and stood up for them even when the entire world criticizes them. Now imagine that you stumble onto proof that this person whose reputation you've defended, is actually a mass-murdering serial rapist and a pedophile. Imagine the sense of betrayal you'd feel.
That sense of betrayal is what I feel towards Russia.
I see and I understand. Well, as it's been said better later than never. As for me, I was brought up in a family that never had any illusions about Russia.
And I am so sorry about your fiancee and her family had to go through. I can't imagine how hard it is to start all over again and again :(
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