Commentary

Russian President (for life) Vladimir Putin has proved himself to be a liar, a ruthless and maniacal tyrant, and a threat to the Western world; a world that espouses freedom, individualism, and peace. Putin’s Pinocchio-nose has grown off the page when it comes to Ukraine. While he bare-face lies to the world that the Russian army is not in Ukraine, Putin’s Russian army has invaded Ukraine, is killing thousands of Ukrainians, and is responsible in the...

What were NATO Supreme Commander, General Phil Breedlove’s thoughts when he heard that Boris Nemtsov, Russia’s political opposition leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nemesis, was executed by four bullets to the back? Video footage of the cold Moscow night shows men getting out of cars, running, darting under the bridge, cars fleeing; a snowplow masking the execution. A beautiful Ukrainian woman is taken by police: Snare or victim? We may never know. She was taken into custody before being allowed to return to Kyiv on March 2. Such is the start of Putin’s “full and transparent” investigation. Crimes within...

Every November Ukrainians around the world pay homage to the millions of victims of the 1932-1933 Holodomor, a man-made genocidal famine that took place in Ukraine, imposed by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and his cronies. Eight decades later, Ukraine is again facing a Kremlin foe that is employing many of the same tactics used in Ukraine in the 1930s. As things stand, Ukraine is on the brink of all-out warfare with the Russian Federation. Up until this point, however, the war raging in Ukraine’s east has been an unofficial conflict with an unidentified foe. Dubbed an “anti-terrorist operation,” President Poroshenko and other top authorities had...

First, I have been informed that your sleighs and reindeer have repeatedly violated Russian airspace. If you do not cease these unwarranted violations of our sovereignty, I shall have no choice but to adopt the appropriate defensive measures. Remember that Russian troops could be in the North Pole in two days. Moreover, please be forewarned that we fully understand that the incessant jingling that accompanies your alleged "sleigh rides" is intended to scramble our air defense systems. I suggest you cease forthwith. Second, it has come to our attention that the language and culture...

Just how many unmarked tanks, rocket systems, and fighters have to cross the Ukrainian/Russian border before the international community calls it an “act of war”? How many tonnes of bullets, guns, and cash have to be fed to pro-Russia rebels before Russia is recognised as “a state sponsor of terrorism”? How many innocent men, women, and children - whether Ukrainian or non-Ukrainian - have to die for the sake of Russian territorial expansion? The precise number of weapons and combatants which Russia sent across the Ukrainian border is hard to count. But it is enough to...

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America's Kharkiv mission consisted of 11 persons who came from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany. They monitored in four election districts within the City of Kharkiv (#s 168,169,171, 173) and two election districts (#'s 175 and 180). District #175 was specifically suggested because of its proximity to Russia and suspicions raised by local Kharkiv NGO's regarding probabilities of voter fraud or irregularities. The general consensus was that the elections were conducted in a reasonably free and democratic fashion excepting some irregularities: Several precincts in electoral district # 175 failed to display properly the voting bloc/party posters bearing the names and photos of the first five candidates of each bloc/party and the platform. In two precincts visited the...

There is a line in William Shakespeare's “Henry VI, Part 2” spoken by Dick the Butcher, which has been exploited for centuries to embellish lawyer jokes, “The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.”Shakespeare may have been critical of lawyers for excessive fees and frivolous lawsuits, but given the context and the character of Dick the Butcher, the playwright probably portrayed lawyers positively as guardians of the rule of law. Whichever interpretation one subscribes to, it is indisputable that the profession and its representatives carry significant weight, both good and bad, particularly in developing civil...

Recently I was in Ukraine for the early parliamentary elections. This was my fourth time participating as a member of a Canadian election observation mission, and it many ways it was not unlike my previous three experiences - except for a few stark differences. My first mission was in October 2012 for the regularly scheduled parliamentary elections. Since then I had returned for the December 2013 parliamentary repeat elections...

The recent Milan Summit with Ukraine, Russia and the European Union underscores once again why simple diplomacy may not be the solution to the current Ukraine-Russia crisis. That was strikingly evident from remarks made by Russian President Putin questioning arrogantly the sovereignty of Ukraine so that even Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel felt compelled to reprimand the Russian President reminding him of the Budapest Agreement of 1994. She could have mentioned many more agreements and treaties to which Russia or its predecessor the USSR was a signatory. A signature on a legally binding document means nothing to Putin or Russia. Ukraine's President Poroshenko, also present in Milan, is not delusional. He know that the only way to stop Russia's aggression is through deterrence, not diplomacy or an appeal to Russia's sense of...

Amid the relative lull in the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian military specialists say Russia may soon re-invade Ukraine to seize a critical overland supply route to Crimea. But some analysts and officials in the West are less worried. In the end, says military analyst Ihor Kozak, we have to guess. Still, the dangers in any new Russian invasion are so great that the US government should take four steps quickly to forestall it, according to Kozak. Senior Ukrainian retired generals and other analysts in the country say Putin has powerful strategic reasons to drive deeper into Ukraine with Russian and proxy forces that reportedly were reinforced today on Ukraine's Sea of Azov coastline. By driving west 225 miles (375 kilometers) along...