To understand the Ukraine-Russia conflict, look to colonialism

[David Morris]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/02/24/ukraine-colony-russia/

Ukrainians have been fighting Russian imperialism for hundreds of years

“You are being told that we are Nazis,” Zelensky said. But 8 million
Ukrainians died fighting with the Soviet army in World War II. Zelensky’s
grandfather served in the Soviet infantry; my grandfather, born and raised
outside Kyiv, spent the war running radio cables between the front line and
Moscow.

“You are told that we hate Russian culture,” Zelensky said. “But how can
you hate culture? Any culture? Neighbors always enrich each other’s
cultures, but that does not make them one entity,” he said. “We are
different, but that does not make us enemies. We want to build our own
history, peaceful, calm and fair.

Zelensky’s address was both an appeal and a prayer, a clearheaded response
to Russian justifications for war. His voice was calm and forceful, but you
could hear the anger behind his words. He underscored that though Russians
and Ukrainians may share kin and culture, that does not mean their
relationship can forever be that of colonizer and colonized.