Ukraine separatists celebrate Soviet holiday in Donetsk

[uhnope]

Source: Guardian UK

Thousands of residents and rebel fighters have gathered in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic to celebrate Defender of the Fatherland Day, also known as Men’s Day – a celebration that has taken on additional meaning during the conflict between Russia-backed separatists and Kiev.

The holiday, which was originally known as Red Army Day and is widely celebrated throughout the former Soviet Union, in recent years has come to be less militaristic and more broadly focused on male relatives and friends.

But the atmosphere in Donetsk was decidedly Soviet, with the crowd waving Soviet flags beneath a giant statue of Vladimir Lenin in the main square. Commanders awarded medals to outstanding fighters, some of them posthumously, and performers read patriotic songs and poems.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/23/ukraine-separatists-soviet-holiday-mens-day-donetsk

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Putin's mercenaries in occupied Ukraine are letting their true colors show--Lenin statues, Soviet flags

[7962]

1. GREAT cartoon! nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Your gross oversimplifications deny any agency whatsoever to the people of the Donbass.

Did Putin make them go out and celebrate?

Did Putin make them repeatedly vote for autonomy?

Did Putin overthrow their man in Kiev?

[geek tragedy]

3. "the people of Donbass." Oh please. Since when do armed insurgents equal the entire population?

There was no movement for secession and joining the Russian federation until Putin started his antics. And then it came at the barrel of a gun, not from broad-based social movements or electoral democracy.

[Takashi Zara]

5. Since the fact that such a force cannot exist without the support of some portion of the population

You--and to be fair, of course not just you--like to think this is all "Putin" (the one single mortal being) masterminding every single aspect of every single action at every single moment, but I prefer not to give such an erstwhile mediocre figurehead such massive credit.

[geek tragedy]

6. yes, "some portion"--not all, not even most. "some portion"

Do those who are not on board with this agenda and who do not want to be ruled from Moscow not count?

[Takashi Zara]

8. Stellar job evading my other point entirely

Do you seriously think that Putin spends his day singlehandedly plotting out every minute aspect of the present situation? Giving him all credit for all things--as if he is some omnipresent supreme being, something that none of his most ardent fans would suggest even! (of which I am not one, for the record)--signifies a supreme ignorance of how the world works and, at the least, a supremely lazy and simplistic approach to referencing a complex situation. You ask me to admit the legitimacy of one prospect when you are utterly closed to its converse.

As for your question, it is a fair one--and indeed, is one pivotal aspect of the conflict. I chose the phrase "some portion" as a neutral acknowledgement of the fact that there is a genuine population support for both sides. Well, less genuine and less effective for the faltering Kievan regime--they seem to be having problems forcing enough cannon fodder to front and keeping them from giving up the fight. That speaks much toward the tangible support in the disputed regions, but I won't expect agreement on this point.

But as for the value of their opinion--yes, I will say that those with grievances against a pro-Kremlin (or more neutrally, broadly separatist) agenda in the Donbass have a legitimate grievance and should "count". Of course, the candy/armaments tycoon shacking up in the Mariyins'kyi palats is most certainly not an effective (or one might even say, legitimate) voice for that grievance, so I'm sure our confluence on this point will be brief.

[Adrahil]

4. I think the argument is more complex than that.

Think about it.

[newthinking]

7. Are we now going to look down on International Woman's day as well?

Since it seems anything that originated in the Russian culture must be "baaaaad eeeeeviiiiill".
(It actually was started by American Socialists but it did not last here)

It would be hilarious to see this stuff except for what it represents... a downturn of our culture toward fear of "others" different than we are.