Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded Monday to that lying dictator in Moscow with a Victory Day speech of his own, recorded on a walk down Khreshchatyk, the main street of still-free Kyiv.
President Zelenskyy’s office provides this official English translation to help more of us in the West understand the war of worldviews in which those of us far away from the Russian guns still have a vital stake:
This is not a war of two armies. This is a war of two worldviews. The war waged by barbarians who shell the Skovoroda Museum and believe that their missiles can destroy our philosophy. It annoys them. It is unfamiliar to them. It scares them. Its essence is that we are free people who have their own path. Today we are waging war on this path and we will not give anyone a single piece of our land [President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “Address by the President of Ukraine on the Day of Victory over Nazism in World War II,” Office of the President of Ukraine, 2022.05.09].
President Zelenskyy maintains that freedom is stronger than the Führer principle:
There are no shackles that can bind our free spirit. There is no occupier who can take root in our free land. There is no invader who can rule over our free people. Sooner or later we win. Despite the horde, despite Nazism, despite the mixture of the first and the second, which is the current enemy, we win, because this is our land.
Because someone is fighting for the father tsar, the führer, the party and the chief, and we are fighting for the Homeland. We have never fought against anyone. We always fight for ourselves. For our freedom. For our independence. So that the victory of our ancestors was not in vain. They fought for freedom for us and won. We are fighting for freedom for our children, and therefore we will win. We will never forget what our ancestors did in World War II. Where more than eight million Ukrainians died. And every fifth Ukrainian didn’t return home. In total, the war claimed at least 50 million lives. We do not say “we can repeat”. Because only a madman can wish to repeat the 2194 days of war. The one who is repeating the horrific crimes of Hitler’s regime today, following Nazi philosophy, copying everything they did. He is doomed. Because he was cursed by millions of ancestors when he began to imitate their killer. And therefore he will lose everything.
And very soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. And someone will not have even one left.
We won then. We will win now, too!
And Khreshchatyk will see the parade of victory – the victory of Ukraine!
Congratulations on the Victory Day over Nazism!
Glory to Ukraine! [Zelenskyy, 2022.05.09]
The United States House of Representatives voted 368–57 yesterday to help Ukraine fight for its second Victory Day with $39.8 billion in military and humanitarian aid. (South Dakota’s Congressman Dusty Johnson voted aye; the 57 Representatives willing to abandon Ukraine are all his fellow Republicans.) President Joe Biden signed a separate bill Monday to help Ukraine, the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act.
For another reminder of the justness of America’s assistance to Ukraine, see President Zelenskyy’s Sunday speech honoring all who died fighting Nazism and decrying the Russian dictator’s erasure of the slogan we have tried to learn and enshrine following the Holocaust: Never Again! President Zelenskyy recorded this speech in front of apartment buildings the Russian invaders bombed in Borodyanka, a Kyiv suburb:
Imagine people going to bed in each of these apartments. They wish good night to each other. Turn off the light. Hug their loved ones. Close their eyes. They dream of something. There is complete silence. They all fall asleep, not knowing that not everyone will wake up. They sleep soundly. They have a dream of something pleasant. But in a few hours they will be awakened by missile explosions. And someone will never wake up again. Never again.
The word “never” was dropped from this slogan. Amputated during the so-called special operation. They stabbed a knife in the heart and, looking into the eyes, said: “It’s not us!” Tortured with the words “not everything is so unambiguous.” Killed “Never again”, saying: “We can repeat.”
And so it happened. And the monsters began to repeat. And our cities, which survived such a heinous occupation that 80 years are not enough to forget about it, saw the occupier again. And got the second date of occupation in their history. And some cities, such as Mariupol, got the third. During the two years of occupation, the Nazis killed 10,000 civilians there. In two months of occupation, Russia killed 20,000.
Decades after World War II, darkness returned to Ukraine. And it became black and white again. Again! Evil has returned. Again! In a different uniform, under different slogans, but for the same purpose. A bloody reconstruction of Nazism was organized in Ukraine. A fanatical repetition of this regime. Its ideas, actions, words and symbols. Maniacal detailed reproduction of its atrocities and “alibi”, which allegedly give an evil sacred purpose. Repetition of its crimes and even attempts to surpass the “teacher” and move him from the pedestal of the greatest evil in human history. Set a new world record for xenophobia, hatred, racism and the number of victims they can cause.
Never again! It was an ode of a wise man! Anthem of the civilized world! But someone sang out of tune. Distorted “Never again” with notes of doubt. Silenced, beginning his deadly aria of evil. And this is clear to all countries that have seen the horrors of Nazism with their own eyes. And today they are experiencing a terrible deja vu. See it again!
All nations who have been branded “third-class”, slaves without the right to their own state or to exist at all hear statements that exalt one nation and erase others with ease. They claim that you don’t really exist, you are artificially created, and therefore you have no rights. Everyone hears the language of evil. Again! [President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “Address by the President of Ukraine on the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation,” Office of the President of Ukraine, 2022.05.08]
Evil is happening again. President Zelenskyy and Ukraine are standing against that evil. If we are an exceptional nation, it is because we recognize an exceptional duty to help fight that evil. Support freedom. Support Ukraine.
Had trump got a second term, he would have given all of Europe to Putin and then used
Putin and the cowardly repubs to maintain autocratic power for him and his family.
And Trump would have finally gotten his hotel in Moscow… Dreams, idle dreams…
You really have to feel for all those Trumpie Putinites don’t you? All those authoritarian American wonder boys who love the shirtless horse riding man.
Trump and Putin, two modern Nazis, sure did underestimate Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, didn’t they? The USA’s Nazi was willing to throw Ukraine away because Zelenskyy refuse to bend to him, just as Zelenskyy refuses to bend to Putin.
Zelensky is so right about this war of two worldviews. We didn’t face bullets on January 6. 2020, but we faced an insurrection and a President bent on taking down our democracy. You have to wonder why Dusty and other Republicans fail to see the connection?
John McCain and his sidekick Palin started all this russian/trump stuff when they ran against Obama in 2008. The Putin stench is on each and every one who calls themselves a republican. They are all no more than and no less than traitors to the United States.
The republican/russian party is now after the women. There will be another financial meltdown if they succeed in getting this abortion hate through successfully.
No wonder Palin said she could see Russian from her home, the Russians were already at her table.
Zelensky is a patriot, just like Joe Biden is.
Dusty, John and Mike Marion have to see the “connection”. Any red blooded American whatever color does, but Republicans have, politely, become transactional, apprentices to their idol.
How? JSRailton old tweet:
Do they not throw multiple narratives? The tactic is not to make you believe any
particular version but be unsure if any version, including the original, is true is it
not?
Thune, son of a ____ hundred year old combat vet, has NO INTEGRITY.
I love that. I had to read it aloud.
I need to do something for the efforts of the people. The people of Ukraine and Myanmar. My buddy has joined a hacking assault campaign on their governments’ databases. I don’t know about codes and stuff like that. I made paper with fruit and veggie seeds imbedded for Yemen… no clue if it worked….I voted NO on C… I speak out against fascism. Its not enough. I hate just crying all the time. I want to help the people. Does anyone reading this have any suggestions what more can be done? I’d sure appreciate whatever polite society has to offer.
America elected a TV star President and got a selfish, corrupt fascist who alienated our allies, coddled our enemies, and continues to bring out the worst in too many Americans fighting a largely fake culture war.
Ukraine elected a TV star President and got what you see above: a man who wins stronger allies, who has led his country in fighting back the Russian army for two and a half months longer than I thought possible, and who brings out the best in his people amidst a genuine battle for national survival.
All Mammal, yes, do read it aloud. Zelenskyy knows how to craft and deliver a speech. He could be Europe’s next Churchill. Both of his speeches have nice devices tying the opening and closing together.
And look in his eyes: he’s no droning Kremlin apparatchik reciting the necessary propaganda. He is serious, honest, defiant, and good, determined to speak the truth, rally his people, and save his nation.
I don’t know what more to do, All Mammal, though I’m sure there is much we can do. Perhaps the most important thing is to speak and live and lead like President Zelenskyy: continue speaking seriously, honestly, and defiantly, and always speak the good. Let the fascists around us know they are wrong. Let the believers in freedom around you know that they are not alone, that they have backup in our fight against fascism. (And maybe send them links to my blog. ;-) )
On what else we can do, I don’t want to encourage anyone to plow up CRP acres, but President Biden is hoping U.S. farmers can grow more food and fill the gap left in global food supplies by the challenges Ukraine faces in cultivating crops amidst the Russian invasion. Grow your own food in the garden, and maybe you reduce demand for commodity crops here, free up production to export elsewhere. Maybe a little more homegrown food lowers demand at the grocery store, lowers prices, helps the broader economy, and frees up more resources to help Ukraine.
All Mammal…I suggest doing what you can for Doctors Without Borders…Putin is fighting a war of attrition..he wants to turn Ukraine into a waste land as a warning to other Russian break away Republics as he reestablishes Stalin’s USSR…Trump supports him as have Thune, Rounds and Johnson. Write them and give them hell. They have no conscience and think South Dakotans could care less. Ukraine needs everything to continue its defense against an inept, unmotivated, but deadly Russian military. The US must supply military equipment, food, medical supplies and technology. At some point our intervention will have to be more direct.
30 Meaningful Ways You Can Help Ukraine
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ways-to-help-ukraine-conflict/#:~:text=%2030%20Meaningful%20Ways%20You%20Can%20Help%20Ukraine,and%20prepared%20to%20help%20citizens%20with…%20More%20
Cory, thank you, thank you, thank you.
This is the struggle, challenge of our lifetimes (those of us post WWII kids). The challenge is international with Ukraine fighting for democracy and liberal freedom, and local drilling down to stupid book banning in Rapid City. We will not win all the battles but must win the war for liberal democracy over autocracy. This struggle comes about every 80ish years or so. See Strauss and Howe: Generations, and The Fourth Turning. Also consider the unrelated books and interviews of Peter Zeihan.
Javelin Joe quickly came to the side of Ukraine when it became apparent the US intel agencies weren’t intelligent. Javelin Joe has 50 years of experience with US intelligence agencies being screwed up – as evidenced by his harsh criticism of US intelligence and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
South Dakota universities and high schools ought open their doors open to tuition free attendance for Ukrainian students.
Your readers should have viewed the HBO series, Servant of the People. Lord, we in the US, need a servant of the people.
It’s likely that Zelenskyy will transcend Churchill. The Brits tossed Churchill after WWII because he focused on UK-external views, when after years of war deprivations, the Brits rightfully wanted leaders to focus on them for a change. It’s likely that Zelenskyy will not be as tone-deaf as was Churchill.
If the Black Sea lines of communication and Ukrainian ports are not opened for grain shipments – expect food prices to spike and millions of hungry refugees from the Middle East and North Africa to wash on NATO’s shores and storm its cities. Rail shipping has inadequate capacity – and Ukraine rail, like Russian, is on a wider gauge than EU rail. If hungry refugees flood NATO, that creates rhetorical fuel for the right-wing parties. Thus, the Ukrainians, with the help from Javelin Joe and others, must defeat the Russians now.
I wildly agree with David Gergen, former presidential advisor, that neither Javelin Joe or trump should run in 2024. Both will be over 80. We force retire commercial passenger airline pilots at 65 because of scientifically documented cognitive decline. (Days after the Russian invasion, I asked my wife for her permission to go – she said no: you’ve done your part (retired military), on MEDICARE, and, somehow she needed me.) I’m pissed. Not at her. That life caused me to miss this opportunity. So I’m relegated to typing and trying to share a sliver of experience and flying my Ukrainian flag.
I would guess most farmers are just going to do their normal crop rotations, maybe slightly adjusted, without laying it all out on the line knowing prices can come tumbling back down.
What I’m trying to figure out is why the US and EU are helping Russia destroy Ukraine and potentially bankrupt EU nations? The longer this drags out, the more Ukraine gets destroyed. Really is that simple. It needs to stop now, and I don’t see the US leading the way in stopping it, just dragging it out longer.
Democracy died in this country decades ago but we are doling it out to other country’s with our 1 trillion a year military spending. The 40 billion our congress just agreed to, should put our spending on this war, so far, up to what Russia’s annual spending is on their military. Seems they are getting a lot more for their Rubles.
It’s damn obvious to me that this isn’t a war of noble Ukrainians against Russia but a war of the USA against Russia. The Ukrainians along with Russians are the just the ones that get to die. Our weapons manufacturers, and our oligarchs make a pile and US mothers don’t get to have their kids sent home in a box. And our student debt that would almost be paid off by this war spending goes on.
I don’t see us quitting and Russia isn’t going to be beaten. Sooooooo, they have superior rockets and I can’t wait to see the nukes fly.
You folks keep sucking down that Kool Aid.
Clyde, the smart Ukrainians got out of dodge right away. No sense being caught in the middle of US and Russian weapons fire.
We spend by far the most on our military, send billions in weapons to other countries so they can fight for us, yet somehow we are about out of baby formula. Wtf?
Oh Clyde, I suck down Cabernet Sauvignon daily, never Kool aid. Of course the USA is fighting to the last Ukrainian. What did you expect? If they didn’t you think Russia would just be nice? Why don’t you call your Swedish relatives and have them push to join NATO along with Finland. The Russkies would love that. Let them try to get a Saab with Finns. IF both countries are in NATO, what will they do other than realize there needs to be a changing of the guard. I’m not Putin you on either.
This country had the same nay saying cowards back in the 1940’s when German nazis raped and pillaged Europe.
They used every trick to avoid the draft and have passed their selfishness on to future generations. Yes, parts of this country
sucks, but only because of the self serving trump maga muffins who would sell their soul to Putin for cover of their weakness.
PS. quit the baby formula, grow up and eat solid food.
Seems that if you poke the bear long enough and hard enough eventually the bear is going to get upset. We have been poking Russia with weapons and training to Ukraine for close to 10 years. Trumpy tossed out our nuclear arms agreement with Russia and started making more nukes even though many of you consider him to be a “Putin puppet”. Putin claims he doesn’t like the idea of NATO rockets armed with nuclear war heads just two minutes from Moscow. Can’t say that I blame him.
We got damned concerned when Russia put missiles in Cuba and if a Russian submariner hadn’t disobeyed orders the nukes would have been heading to Washington. Past time for someone in this country to show some sense. We still have an out if the Ukrainians surrender. We can blame our quitting on them and not lose to much face.
Then there is the item of sanctions and all the other illegal things that have been done. Don’t know how we would reconcile that.
Clyde–Mutually Assured Destruction is still in place. We have enough nukes, just on our Nuclear Submarines, to turn Russia into a wasteland. More likely Putin will use smaller tactical nuclear weapons to totally destroy habitation in Ukraine. He’s that nuts.
Thanks, gents. I be a letter typewriting little fxcker, I tell you what.
I have gotten up to three total meals for my friends in the last two years since I wondered why I wasn’t foraging all this scrumptious food provided all around where I live in the middle of Rapid City, on the beaches of Rapid Creek. I found I need way more corn this year to satisfy everyones craving for Mexican street corn. I will have to sneak plots by the creek. And my fat squirrels cracked my windshield after I started harvesting my black walnuts. They cuss me out ever since. Black walnut is a tough nut to crack, but go so good with crabapple gathered from across the street, sliced and dried. Hell, I even brought myself to skinning roadkill for pelts. Now people bring me all kinds of dead critters. I made my homelady a skunk claw scratcher for her nub after the hospital took her leg. Foxfire books scored on Craigslist have immense uses for ‘My Side of the Mountain’ living. I will ask Doctors Without Borders if there is any natural substance I can harvest that they need for salve or anything, Mr. Blundt. And DaveFN, if there is a way to anonymously donate to Save the Children, I will find out and go that route. It sucks after making a donation, the soliciting becomes counterproductive.
A couple of days ago, I caught a baby squirrel I was going to try to train to get plastic bags out of the trees (been trying to find a solution for the annoying, flapping bags way up in trees for years) and the scared little baby bit the crap out of me. Now I’m trying to modify a laser strong enough to burn them out… sometimes my buddy’s 40 ft telescoping lineman’s pole isn’t long enough.
Too bad my laser can’t reach Russia.
If only there was a way to simply get ol Putin Annie to soften up. Has anyone else noticed that the man has NEVER had a single whisker or ANY stubble on his face EVER? Russians aren’t smooth like that. He must laser his body hair. I’m convinced he is so in love with himself, he puts on teddies and slinky outfits in front of the mirror to get off. He is grossly attracted to his shirtless self. Not sure if that’s the Q part of LGBTQ..?
Anyways, I will try finding out who I can contact to drop the dime on SD trusts. There’s got to be some authority who can verify Noem and Janklow’s limy hooked pals aren’t helping Putie Pie n em hide blood money in SD accounts. Same with the military master who ran the coup in Myanmar. They are in cahoots, Russia and Myanmar. For Myanmar’s armed services day celebration, all the seats were empty, except for delegates from China and Russia. Democracy is doomed and people are cooked until Putie poot goes ni ni.
Clyde: https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-says-he-made-nuclear-arsenal-tippy-top-experts-disagree-2020-10?op=1
Anything else true in your comments?
Can’t wait till the missiles fly? Too many armogedden movies, eh. Own the libs, is that it?
No spell check for you!
Clyde, if Ukrainians had the fight of South Vietnamese, Iraqis, Afghanistan’s – then yes, they could go to hell. But in 2 days the Ukrainians showed they cared; they were fighting for Ukrainian freedom, and Ukrainian democracy. They are fighting for western democracy, freedom, and rule of law.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj-hBnUzqoc
Yet, I agree that the US has a cowardly military posture of NOT getting involved to stop genocides. The US military has a practice from WWI – of getting involved at half-time, or later, using overwhelming industrialization to declare victory, then swoop in with the rebuilding contracts. Bluntly, if the 82d and 101st boast of fighting when surrounded – then place them in Mariupol.
Well Putin has said there is no world without a Russia. Sooooo, how far is this ridiculousness supposed to go? These tactical nukes are quite the weapon. Small neutron bomb that just kills every living thing and can leave the infrastructure in place. Nuclear fallout apparently doesn’t last all that long. Of course they have long range ballistic hypersonic missiles that we have no defense from that they to can fire from submarines as well or over the pole if they wanted to. I guess hypersonic missiles need a titanium skin to stand up to that speed. Handy that Russia has a huge source of that titanium.
Anyway folks, one thing that this mess has taught me is just how bad our propaganda machine has become. Not one western establishment media source has proven itself to be honest and not in on the propaganda war. The information is out there if you find it quick before our “Ministry of truth” censures it and shuts it down. You ought to be asking why Russia that was getting completely beaten weeks ago continues to take territory? You ought to be asking yourselves why this country needs a “Disinformation board”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ac_q8Z9SQk&t=419s
Pay Pal is taking money away from journalist’s the US doesn’t like and cleaning out the bank accounts of Russian people to GIVE to Ukraine. Perhaps they can pay down their ” Lend / Lease” bill to our defense contractors…….
The documented atrocities committed by the Russians as documented by NPR and BBC appear to negate any “legal” warfare between Russia and Ukraine.
We may not have the entire picture, but I must rely on someone, and, so far, I trust NPR and BBC more than anything else I can find.
Jeez Clyde, so glad you don’t fall for disinformation. Those Russkies are soon to take Kiev aren’t they? They even have Rand Paul helping them now. This is from the ministry of truth; they want Kiev to get the U2 boys. Anyway I’ve attended a Florida prepper event so I know how it all goes down.
Public radio and public TV lost a great deal of their nerve to tell the truth once the Republicans threated to put big bird on a spit! Still interesting but not necessarily truthful. Apparently, the powers that be have just about everyone singing their tune. BBC has been crap propaganda for a very long time. There are international independent broadcasters that have not been taken down yet that are credible. If you get your news from enough of those sources you can weed out the bull….
The first thing you should be asking is WHY THE EFF are we there?????? It isn’t to foster democracy in yet another country at the edge of a sword. It is because certain people stand to gain by it and those people are NOT the Ukrainians!
Study up on the petro dollar and how it affects the value of our dollar world wide. Take note of all the regime change wars we have been in clear back to Vietnam. When I was in the Navy during that conflict we had a anti war fellow in my gang that was passing around a book claiming we were fighting for oil. I paid little attention till the so called energy crisis of the 70’s came along and we found out that the South China Sea was floating on another sea……a sea of oil! Look where we have fought ever since then. Iraq was going to stop trading their oil in dollars and demand Euros. Kaddafi was going to only sell his oil for gold and was going to set up an all African currency, the gold Dinar. Syria’s so called civil war has fallen out of the news now that our Arab fundamentalists friends have taken Assad’s oil fields away from him. That nasty country of Venezuela had to stop being socialist and let the Koch bros have their oil.
Wake up folks. We are not the bastion of democracy our propaganda machine wants you to believe we are. If we were we would have had better choices than Joe Biden or Donald Trump…….
Further and more specific. The atrocity of the mass grave. The Russians had just left when the Ukrainians re-entered the town yet it was days before a mass grave was reported. Forensic people could have told you exactly when those people were killed yet no one was brought in. A large number of the dead were wearing arm bands that were supposed to designate them as non combatants. It looks to me that assuming the atrocity was committed by Russians and not Ukrainians is a little far fetched. The Russians have made a point of being very careful to avoid civilian deaths. The Ukrainians just the opposite. They have used the populace as human shields over and over.
I know, you aren’t going to buy that the so called atrocities are false flags. I showed how false flags were used to justify bombing in Syria. There is plenty of evidence of the same in Ukraine.
Putin is a lawyer and appears to have followed the rules of war. Putting troops and weapons in schools and hospitals as the Ukrainians have done, is a war crime. So is putting weapons in apartment buildings on the top floors and forcing the residents to stay in the basement as human shields.
As for taking Kiev, they might have thought the city would welcome them with open arms or it may have been a feign as Putin claimed. It did draw troops and equipment away from the south of the country and left it vulnerable for the Russians next offensive which was successful. A hundred thousand or so troops that were headed for Kiev weren’t going to take a city of millions anyway.
Enough Clyde. There isn’t enough ink in the world that can be used to write an excuse for Putin. He is a butcher.
The Russians have made a point of being very careful to avoid civilian deaths.
Is that why they bombed at least 2 schools full of kids, Clyde?
Suck down that Kool Aid……
Invest in knee pads. I see a shortage coming as maga muffins suck up to Putin.
A mess of Senate magats descended on Zelenky in Ukraine today. McCTurtlef**kface, Cornyn, Collins(looking for her stance on abortion probably, and Barasso fr9m Wyoming. Missing was @2 Marlboro Barbie from South Duhkotuh. Mitchie wanted the world to know there is bi-partisan support for Ukraine, that is until there needs to be bi-partisan approval for aid..
Now all Clyde needs to do is call us sheeple and he’s got all his bases covered!
What started this mess????
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCDBjfyBZLo&t=1124s
Where is it going????
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1qI1XKMPks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNcTZR8P8EY
Its darn hard to find but the truth is out there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzMLPSXb7RU