Important context: Ukraine is repressing Russian speakers, arresting opposition figures and launching a cultural purge, with tacit US support. It chose the path of repression because it thought Russia was weak and the US would bail it out. It bet wrong. ti.me/32QLp4o
“The Ukrainian government started by taking his TV channels off the air, depriving Russia of its propaganda outlets in the country. The U.S. embassy in Kyiv applauded the move.”
Sure sounds like America stands for democracy! If they’d shut down LGBT, then US would’ve been mad.
The Ukrainian government with US support prevents pro-Russian figures from owning TV stations or running for office and then we’re told democratic and sovereign Ukraine is making a free choice to join the West.
The opposition that’s been arrested and repressed is not a small bloc. They were the party that finished second in the last election! All those articles about the decline of democracy worldwide, especially in Eastern Europe, somehow skip Ukraine.
The pro-Russia opposition engaged in evil nefarious plots like getting Ukraine free vaccines, which the government and the State Department, the real rulers of the country, rejected.
“When he decided to take those channels off the air last February, it was not only a defensive move, says Danyliuk, his former security adviser. It was also conceived as a welcome gift to the Biden Administration.”
Yet another sign of a healthy “democracy.”
“Rather than working through the justice system, Zelensky has imposed sanctions against Ukrainian tycoons and politicians, freezing their assets by decree…The U.S. has avoided criticizing the crackdown, not wanting to ‘micromanage.’”
Reads like a parody of self-delusion.
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.