Did nobody in Crimea bother to read the transcript of Putin's justification for seizing Crimea in recounting the history of Crimea in Russia?
It's not always a pretty history, though. For example, the entire Crimean Tatar population was deported from Crimea during World War II, and a huge number are believed to have died. Putin touched on this in his speech, admitting that the Crimean Tatars were "treated unfairly" but adding that "millions of people of various ethnicities suffered during those repressions, and primarily Russians."
Yeah, you Crimeans are special! Putin went to subliminal war for you! Sure, the Tatars suffered horribly and were expelled from Crimea. But you have to remember the context of that bloody and dark history--the Russians killed and repressed everyone, including Russians! See?
Wait. What? Putin's defense is that the Russians repressed everyone? Oops.
Say, isn't my post title supposed to be a Chinese curse? I wonder what the Chinese think of the history of lost territory in other parts of the world?
Yeah, look east, Putin:
The underlying message from the head of Russia's biggest oil company, Rosneft, was clear: If Europe and the United States isolate Russia, Moscow will look East for new business, energy deals, military contracts and political alliances.
The East might look back. And China is not the perfect enemy.
