The genocide is not the former. Why Russia treats Ukraine differently than Eastern Europe

We are used to believe that we are best understood in Eastern Europe, because they also know what Russian occupation is, says political scientist Petro Oleshchuk. But there is a nuance - Russia has never refused to recognize the Eastern European peoples, but there are no Ukrainians for it. The Eastern European neighbors of Ukraine have recently told a lot of interesting things, which fully characterize them, as well as the level of their understanding of the situation in Ukraine.

Initially, Czech President P. Pavel spoke of "the impossibility of liberation of the Ukrainian territory" in a military manner. Then R. Sikorsky, the Polish Foreign Minister, began to invent some "UN Administration" for Crimea. Well, the Hungarian adviser to Orban (also Orban, but not a relative) began to tell something that the resistance of Ukraine to Russian aggression was "irresponsible", and the Hungarian would immediately seem.

Although, at first glance, these statements are unrelated, because the Czech president is considered a "friend of Ukraine", but the advice of Orban is not considered so clearly, but in fact all these statements are related. We are used to assume that we are best understood in Eastern Europe. After all, they also know what Russian occupation is. And it is so . . . but not. Russian occupation is sometimes not identical to Russian occupation.

The deep difference between Ukrainians and Poles, Czechs and Hungarians is that the Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, etc. The Russians never had doubts about their existence. Accordingly, the worst part that could have been waiting for - the establishment of a puppet government, imposing state ideology, "point" arrests. Sometimes - the shootings of individuals. Actually, this is what happened in a number of Eastern European states in the twentieth century.

Accordingly, they tend to think that Russian domination is, of course, very bad. But not so deadly. One problem. Ukraine does not apply. The purpose of the Russians is to destroy Ukraine as such. And, of course, the Ukrainian people, who are known to "do not exist". To do this, it is necessary to eradicate the Ukrainian heritage, physically destroy activists, deport and destroy simply people with Ukrainian consciousness. Actually, do what they did and do in the occupied territories.

Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians understand somewhat. They did not have a famine, but they know what mass deportations to Siberia are all in a row. The Finns who had experience when whole regions were to be evacuated to the central regions, because these territories were occupied by Russian invaders. They were still sitting there. But Ukrainian experience is still unique. It is not about the desire to control territories, not about "zones of influence", not about "elite loyalty".