UKRAINE: THE ONLY SOLUTION (WITH 5 MAPS)

12/8/2014
December 8, 2014 by JohnHenryHill in Original Articles 5 Comments

Ukraine: The Only Solution

Comment on Ukraine Conflict as of September 1, 2014

by John-Henry Hill, M.D.

September 1, 2014

Revised: December 8, 2014

First, I am an AMERICAN who has lived in Odessa, Ukraine since 2009.

Lets put aside the propaganda from all sides.

How about a few FACTS?

1.) After the fall of the Soviet Union, President Bush-1 and other NATO members
promised the Russians that NATO would NOT extend itself beyond its then current
borders. In 1990 Gorbachev agreed to allow German reunification within NATO
after being promised that NATO would not expand one inch to the east. (To be
precise, it was in February 1990 that Bushs Secretary of State James Baker
promised Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would move not one
inch to the East, if Russia pulled its 24 divisions out of East Germany.) Some
NATO members were skeptical about Gorbachevs motives. British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher was the primary the primary NATO leader in favor of giving
Russia a chance to prove herself. In response Gorbachev withdrew all Soviet
military from Afghanistan; then unilaterally withdrew of 500,000 troops and
10,000 tanks from Eastern Europe. It was Presidents Clinton, Bush-2 and Obama
who broke that promise, with the addition of 12 NEW countries, plus an aborted
attempt by Georgia. Other countries being considered for NATO membership
include Cyprus and Macedonia (being blocked by Turkey and Greece, respectively),
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and (once again) Georgia. It these countries, 17
NEW members will have joined NATO following NATOs promise not to
expand eastward. And recently Moldava has expressed interest in joining NATO,
which will increase the number of NEW NATO members to 18. Ukraine would
make it 19. So, the question to be asked is, WHO is not keeping their pledges?

2.) It is now well-known that the U.S. State Department, along with the CIA and
numerous Western NGOs (non-governmental organizations) planned, financed (at
$5 billion USD) and helped orchestrate the Maidan Square demonstrations in Kiev,
leading to the February 22, 2014 coup detat in Kiev in which duly-elected
President Viktor Yanukovich was overthrown and replaced by the U.S. State
Department Assistant Secretary Victoria Nulands hand-picked choice for Prime
Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (Yats). So, again a question arises:WHO created
the Ukraine crisis?

3.) Does anyone recall the CRIMEAN WAR of 1854? Crimea was under Russian
control since the 1700s and Britain was the invader. I have walked and studied this
battlefield on a number of occasions it would NOT have been my choice of a field
of battle. Likewise, Ukraine should NOT become the battlefield between the U.S.
and Russia.

4.) Russia included Crimea until 1954 when a drunken Krushchev gave it to
Ukraine. But the city of Sevastopol always remained a Russian city with special
status by treaty, which also allowed up to 25,000 Russian military personnel to be
stationed throughout Crimea.

5.) Eastern and southern Ukraine have been considered part of Russia for
centuries. In fact, ALL of what is now Ukraine, except for the northwester region,
was historically part of Russia. Kiev was once the CAPITAL of Russia. The
northwestern region from Lutsk to Ivano-Frankivsk ccmprises the REAL historic
Ukraine, whose culture, customs and language resemble those of POLAND, much
more than Russia. Indeed, if one speaks Polish, one is more likely to understand
the Ukrainian language.

6.) On the southwestern border of Ukraine exists the Transdnestr

Republic (adjacent to Moldava). Transdnestr is historically Russian and has held
2 referenda in which the people overwhelmingly vote for independence and union
with Russia. It has its own government, currency, passports, etc., plus a HUGE
well-armed military.
It was a strategic Soviet military outpost blocking the ONLY practical invasion
route (about 15 miles wide) into Ukraine from southern Europe except for a small
area near the intersection of Poland, Belarus and Ukraine. All other routes are
blocked by impassable MARSHES and MOUNTAINS. The only other possible
invasion routes into Russia proper are through Latvia and Estonia (or Belarus, an
ally of Russia), where Russiaa strongest defenses are located. Transdnestr also
has about 2,000 elite Russian troops acting as peacekeepers, but they
are hardly necessary. When the Soviet Army left Transdnestr, it left behind all its
military hardware including missile systems, heavy artillery, tanks, APCs,, heavy
machine guns, small arms, etc along with a vast amount of ammunition. Further,
each time the Russian troops in Transdnestr receive upgraded: weapons systems,
the old hardware is handed over to the Transdnestr military..

In brief, if NATO should be INSANE enough to attempt to invade Ukraine, its

forces will be CRUSHED as soon as they enter Ukraine, if not beforehand.

7.) It is a standing joke that even the Russians blush at the extent of the
corruption within the Ukrainian government! The SAME oligarchs that
ruled Ukraine in 1992 still rule Ukraine today. The only difference has been the
introduction of NATO and U.S. interests, especially through the neo-NAZI political
groups from northwestern Ukraine. The U.S., via these neo-NAZI proxies, exercise
the REAL political control in Kiev which means they control who is appointed to
the president cabinet (ministries, including the heads of internal security, the
military, the central bank and interior ministry), as well as the governors of each
OBLAST (similar to a STATE in the U.S.). One has only to visit the northwestern
city of Lvov in the Spring to witness the huge crowds watching the annual parades
(complete with NAZI flags, German-style uniforms and other NAZI-like
memorabilia) commemorating the Ukrainian pro-NAZI regiments that joined the
Germany military during World War 2. It is no exaggeration to describe the Right-
Sector, Svoboda and other militant Ukrainian groups as neo-NAZIs.

8.) Approximately fourteen (14) Russian troops got lost and wandered into
Ukraine. NOT exactly an invading army !!!

9.) Entire battalions of Kiev troops have purposely entered Russia on order to
escape from attacking anti-Kiev forces. In each instance, Russian troops have given
them safety, food, and free, unmolested passage back into Ukraine.
10.) Most of Kievs military is composed of conscripts with between 2-4 weeks of
training, poorly armed and equipped many Kiev troops were actually offered food
by the locals in eastern Ukraine they were supposed to be fighting. (Even the neo-
NAZI militia groups, such as the Right-Sector and Svoboda, are better equipped,
though also lacking in real combat training.) Ukraine dropped it mandatory
military conscription years ago (to save money) knowing that Russia would come to
its defense.

11.) On a recent trip to Chisinau, Moldava (adjacent to southwestern Ukraine),

we noticed that the highways had roadblocks and ALL bridges across even the
smallest of rivers (more like streams) had defensive military positions set up with
many troops. WHY? Because, as mentioned above, between Moldava and Ukraine
sits the Transdnestr Republic (with Tiraspol as its capital), which has twice
voted in referenda to join the Russian Federation, has its own HUGE, well-armed
military (as a former strategic Soviet outpost) with artillery, tanks, missile systems,
etc plus approximately 2,000 elite Russian troops as peacekeepers, armed with
the latest Russian artillery, tanks, missile systems and so on.

12.) Traditionally laws passed in Kiev were frequently ignored by other oblasts
and/or large cities, simply because Kiev had no means of enforcing them. The
people of Ukraine are trulyINDIVIDUALISTS with a strong sense of personal
independence. The best analogy I can use is the relation of the states to the U.S.
government during the early 1800s if the people of a state disagreed with a law
passed by the federal government, they simply ignored that law. Even on a local
level, it is not uncommon to see a citizen of Odessa arguing with a policeman, in
effect asking, Who the Hell are you to tell me what to do?

13.) If Russia truly wanted to take over Ukraine by military force, it could do so in
2-3 days maximum coming in from the north, east, southeast and Transdnestr in
the west. (Invasion into/out of Crimea is much more difficult, since only 2 narrow
5 miles wide land bridges connect Crimea with mainland Ukraine. As the
Germans discovered during World War 2, these causeways are highly defensible,
especially with modern weapons systems.

14.) Putin and Russia do NOT want to take over Ukraine. Ukraine is an economic
basket case and offers Russia NOTHING (oil, gas, coal, etc.) that it already does
not possess in great abundance.Ukraine would be a HUGE economic drain
on Russia. Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (Yats) and
President Petrov Poroshenko (the Chocolate King) desperately NEED a war
between NATO and Russia, in order to obtain military and financial aid from the
West. And they are willing to issue the most ridiculous PROPAGANDA to achieve
that end.

15.) I have said from November 2013 onward that the ONLY solution to Ukraines
political problems is to hold separate REFERENDA within each OBLAST, asking
the people of that oblast whether they want:

a.) Complete independence from the Kiev government;

b.) Independence from the Kiev government, but remaining within a Ukraine
Federation (with a Kiev government of very limited powers)

16.) THEN a second round of REFERENDA in each oblast in which the people of
each oblast are asked if they wish to:

a.) Maintain their independence as a separate Republic; or

b.) Join with other nearby oblasts to form a union of Republics; or

c.) Join the Russian Federation

From my conversations with the people here in Odessa and various cities in eastern
Ukraine, my impression is that most people would choose: 1.) Complete
independence from the Kiev government; and 2.) Join with other nearby oblasts to
form a union of Republics.

And the eventual outcome:

Crimea will remain part of the Russian Federation

The southern half of Ukraine will unite to form a new, independent

country; perhaps calledNew Russia (see MAP below). New Russia will

extend from southeastern Ukraine all the way west to include

 the Transdnestr Republic (still recognized by the West as part of

Moldava, but in fact independent from Moldava and very pro-

Russian). I do NOT expect New Russia to join the Russian Federation

the people in Ukraine and Russia do NOT want that to happen.

The remaining northern half of Ukraine will remain all that is left of the

NEW Ukraine.

This is the ONLY practical and workable solution for the people of Ukraine.
John-Henry Hill, M.D.

retired physician

Web: http://JohnHenryHill.Wordpress.com

e-mail: JohnHenryHill@Yahoo.com