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Jay Bee
Jay Bee
1 year ago

In such a lengthy and detailed essay, I’m a little surprised there is not one mention of the events that took place in Odessa in May, 2014. The utterly horrific deaths of mostly pro-Russian protesters, at the Trade Union House, is mostly what I recall when I think about Odessa.

Last edited 1 year ago by Jay Bee
Ian Johnston
Ian Johnston
1 year ago
Reply to  Jay Bee
Judy Englander
Judy Englander
1 year ago
Reply to  Ian Johnston

I’d recommend the Wiki article for a detailed and balanced account of the events.

Robin P Clarke
Robin P Clarke
1 year ago
Reply to  Judy Englander

I’d recommend you learn about how Wiki has been turned into a corrupt propaganda device, Hint, there won’t be a wiki article about it.

Robin P Clarke
Robin P Clarke
1 year ago
Reply to  Ian Johnston

There is also a whopping untruth in Patrikarakos’s romantic sketch, namely:
“They have almost destroyed the city of Mariupol (it would eventually fall on 20 May)”
You can confirm for yourself the reality in drastic contrast to this constant whopping untruth, in numerous videos, such as those liniked below.
Sky “News”: “Turning into another Mariupol”
BBC “News” Mariupol has been “turned into rubble”.
“completely destroyed”, etc.
See these reality laid bare in these videos of the liberation of Mariupol from eight years of the Nato warmongering industry’s regime of terror:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1I8SZeXGFo
(The drone view was also on 9th May as reflected that you can see the huge St George ribbon in it.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kFGB6DqzrY

Hardee Hodges
Hardee Hodges
1 year ago
Reply to  Robin P Clarke

Good to see parts are intact. Likely why some residents are still alive. The steel plant is no longer usable. So something will still be there when Ukraine takes the city back.

Nigel Rodgers
Nigel Rodgers
1 year ago
Reply to  Robin P Clarke

What year was this video taken? There are no signs of any war damage in these panoramic shots. Whatever the current state of Mariupol, genuine views of it must surely show signs of the recent bitter fighting. If they don’t, they definitely cannot be showing the city as it now is.

Last edited 1 year ago by Nigel Rodgers
Antony Altoft
Antony Altoft
1 year ago
Reply to  Nigel Rodgers

It’s a shock when you see the reality versus the propaganda we are subjected to in the UK isn’t it?
If you watch TV from other countries you’ll realize why pretty much all of Latin America, Africa and a good chunk of Asia supports Russia either tacitly or openly.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  Antony Altoft

Oh please don’t be coy, tell us WHY “pretty much all of Latin America, Africa and a good chunk of Asia” supports the invasion of a neighbouring sovereign country.

Ian Johnston
Ian Johnston
1 year ago
Reply to  Jay Bee

I think it say a lot about the one-eyed nature of the people Patrikarakos hangs around with.
He was lauding Azov in his last article for Unherd.

M. Gatt
M. Gatt
1 year ago
Reply to  Ian Johnston

Suprised that Patrikarakos doesnt use a lower case ‘r’ when writing Russia ( as does Ukrainian Ministry of Defense) as he spreads his love for Banderaites.

Last edited 1 year ago by M. Gatt
Ian Stewart
Ian Stewart
1 year ago
Reply to  M. Gatt

I expect you think Zelensky is a Jewish fascist too?

Ian Stewart
Ian Stewart
1 year ago
Reply to  Jay Bee

Well the Russians are certainly getting their revenge now, so you must be pleased it’s balancing out?

tim hardacre
tim hardacre
1 year ago
Reply to  Jay Bee

JB A vital point. Opinions of Russian sympathisers do not get reported in the Western media .There are substantial arguments supporting the war by Russia against elements in the Ukrainian present government. We never hear about Mr Kolomoisky for example or the closure by Mr Zelensky of the opposition media over the last 8 years. To call Ukraine a democracy is laughable. On a lighter note I was in Odessa a few days before the fighting commenced to see Madama Butterfly-a wonderful performance in the beautiful Opera House-3rd Row of the stalls-cost under £10.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  tim hardacre

RE: There are substantial arguments supporting the war by Russia against elements in the Ukrainian present government.
I would love to hear one that justifies the invasion of a neighbouring sovereign country.

Russell Hamilton
Russell Hamilton
1 year ago

David informs us using his very impressive narrative, characterisation and description skills – great reading.

zee upītis
zee upītis
1 year ago

You, sir, are quite literally sick in the head. Your delusional imagery of how things are couldn’t be farther from the truth and your attempt to establish credibility is pathetic. Yes, exactly, you have never been to Ukraine but you are such a great psychologist, right? Psychology has nothing to do with primitive sociological extrapolation from skewed or outrightly fictional historical perspectives. Take it from someone who’s been spending a lot of time in Eastern Ukraine for many years working there with locals and speaking both Ukrainian and Russian: YOU HAVE NO CLUE.

Last edited 1 year ago by zee upītis
Robin P Clarke
Robin P Clarke
1 year ago
Reply to  zee upītis

It is not necessary to go to Ukraine in order to see on many videos the Nato lies laid bare. What is necessary is the objectivity which so many lack.

Judy Englander
Judy Englander
1 year ago

I fear for Ukraine. Not just because of the invasion but also because it may lead to a fragmentation of Ukrainian society, which appears to be a mosaic of many backgrounds. It’s understandable that UKR authorities want to draw a red line between all that’s Russian and them. But that could become a fault line driving a wedge between ethnic Ukrainians (descendents of the peasantry in the great empires that once occupied the area) and other cultures. Putin has a lot to answer for. He’s a force for destruction in more ways than one.

Jeff Andrews
Jeff Andrews
1 year ago
Reply to  Judy Englander

You could change President Putin’s name for Freeland’s and her mentor husband Robert Kagan’s names and it would be more accurate.
This pair of horrors are fermenting trouble in East Africa now so it looks as though they’ve given up on Ukraine.

John Aronsson
John Aronsson
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeff Andrews

Victoria Nuland is married to the arch-neocon Robert Kagan. Chrystia Freeland is married to some obscure but doubtless creepy NYT reporter.

Peta Seel
Peta Seel
1 year ago

A fascinating article and thank you. International ports across the globe have always had both colourful histories and a large underbelly of vice.

Ian Stewart
Ian Stewart
1 year ago

Jeez has Putin’s propaganda army suddenly targeted Unherd through reader comments as part of its Donbas offensive?

Robin P Clarke
Robin P Clarke
1 year ago

The changes such as removal of a s from Odessa are not what “Ukrainians” want but only what a small minority of violent Russia-hating fanatics want. It seems that promotion of hate is fine if you are on the same side as Azov battalion “heroes”.
The double s usefully gives us the correct pronunciation in English. Likewise we do not spell Moscow as “Moskva”, or Rome as “Roma”.
Of course, changing the spelling also helps to distract from the inconvenient facts of the 2014 Odessa Massacre by our “heroic” “friends”currently being armed at our taxpayer expense. .

Leif Sachs
Leif Sachs
1 year ago

industrial, state-on-state warfare that we have not seen — especially on the European continent — since the Second World War.

Apart from the NATO bombing of Belgrade, and the Armenia-Azerbaijan war. (And yes, the latter two countries are part of the European continent.)

Last edited 1 year ago by Leif Sachs
Rick Frazier
Rick Frazier
1 year ago

“Odesans don’t like to be told what to do.” Americans used to harbor a similar attitude. Today, not so much.

Nick Bernard
Nick Bernard
1 year ago

Wow. Putin’s apologists, appeasers and propagandists are out in force. Pusillanimously tap tap tapping away in the comments.

Leif Sachs
Leif Sachs
1 year ago

Patrikarakos’ articles are so biased, they are unworthy of Unherd.

David M Pelly
David M Pelly
1 year ago
Reply to  Leif Sachs

You are correct Lief. Not worthy of Unherd.
Actually they are worse than biased. They are an attempt at delusional creative writing.

Antony Altoft
Antony Altoft
1 year ago

The city is like our women.” I glance at the young lady sitting next to him whose translation skills have been rendered unnecessary by Vlad’s presence. “They may look very open and accessible” —I glance at her again, slightly alarmed this time — “but in fact they are proud and loyal,” he concludes with quiet satisfaction.
Beautiful prose.

Stephen Magee
Stephen Magee
1 year ago

Putinbots out in force!

Last edited 1 year ago by Stephen Magee
David M Pelly
David M Pelly
1 year ago

I forgot to say that the people of eastern Ukraine, want to join up with Putin’s good gov. They are past fed up with Ukrainian bad gov and internal fighting and terrorism. There is no other way to fix not only eastern Ukraine, but all of Ukraine.

David M Pelly
David M Pelly
1 year ago

One more very important thing to know:
The neo nazis, the terrorists and gangs in Ukraine, are now financially supported by the multi billionaire globalists. George Soros is one of them. It is difficult to know who they all are. It is a quagmire of a mess. It is a real huge orgy.

They want to break or destroy Ukraine, because Ukraine is standing on their way to getting to Putin, who is holding out against the west. And for them to take full control of the world, under the leadership of Klaus Schwab and the WEF and company.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  David M Pelly

Incoherent, illogical and insane. Quite the trifecta.

M. Gatt
M. Gatt
1 year ago

Thanks David. I spent 3 years in the former USSR in the 90’s. Had many hours of conversations with Russians, Ukrainians and mixed Russo-Ukr people about their complex past. They all had a very deep understanding of their history. Putin will prevail. Peace will settle over the Russian Ukraine. Odessa ( with two ‘ss’es’ will return to her ways)

David M Pelly
David M Pelly
1 year ago
Reply to  M. Gatt

Thanks M. Gatt.
I have long thought good of Putin. He is a strong leader.
The highest and longest running public approval of Putin, highest and longest of all countries in the world in all of history, proves that.

I have friends in Russia and they think that Putin is doing a good job.
One is a couple who actually immigrated from the NY, USA to a small city NE of Moscow a few yrs ago. They love it there.

The problem Putin has is with young Russians, who have been warped and perverted by garbage on the internet, trying to take him down or and leave the country. Same as the young generations in all countries in the world.