Maurice and Benedict were working diligently reading through parliamentary debates.
25.01.2022
https://www.rada.gov.ua/meeting/stenogr/show/7934.html
“Now the rumours of war are definitely starting to take their toll. Not knowing if a war is coming is doing nothing good for investments.”
DAVID ARAHAMIA, SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE
But the war is hybrid […], since October this year we have heard and felt what a hybrid component is, namely the information component. Such an information and psychological special operation has not been in Ukraine for a long time, you know how panic is pumped up and how many people react to it
“Meanwhile the Omicron strain is still accelerating. This was before the world gained a relaxed view of the new strain. We just saw the case numbers explode.”
“All the parties seem to indicate that all the other parties should put aside strife and work together to avoid panic.”
“The Voice, Kira Rudyk: Avoid panic, stand united”
“Fatherland, Yulia Tymoshenko: We told you to prepare the army long ago.”
“Trust, Areshonkov: Halt everything else, focus on bills for funding the military.”
“For the Future, Taras Batenko: Don’t panic. Let’s overcome”
“European Solidarity, Knyazhytskyi: We call on everybody else to do something.”
“Then they go on to discuss laws about copyright holders, radio frequency spectrum”
“Et cetera. After that dire opening, they generally turn to the usual bickering and strife.”
“Now they come to proposal 6543, an appeal to EU and states to assist Ukraine under Russian military pressure.”
BAKUNETS P.A.
This gap between Ukraine and Muscovy will never be closed. And, of course, the Kremlin is clearly aware and understands that [..] Ukrainians have chosen a pro-European path.
“Note that the pro-EU path also includes NATO.”
“Opposition Platform - for Life as always tries to push Minsk agreements.”
— The aggression and NATO —
BARDINA, head of Committee on Foreign Policy and International Cooperation
The aspirations of Ukrainians to be members of the European Union and NATO are reflected in our Constitution.
[…]
Today, at a time when the Russian Federation is trying in every possible way to hinder the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of our country, I want to remind you that we are an independent, sovereign state that independently decides where, in which alliances, unions, and with whom we should be in partnership. It is important that the same position is shared by international partners. This was confirmed, in particular, by the results of the January security summits. NATO has confirmed that it will not limit the right of states to join the Alliance, just as the United States of America has defended NATO’s “open door” policy.
“Uncompromising.”
“The wheels of history shows through in all these comments.
There is no undoing the galvanisation caused by the bolshevists seizing power in Russia. If you lacked the socialist inclination, you were force-fed thought patterns for decades. It happened inside Russia, but more so in the satellite regions.”
“Not always much more so. Ukrainian history provided a lot of local bolshevism too.”
“Absolutely. Historians remembers this, but politicians are eager to forget. This is also a consequence of the polarisation. It also happens inside Russia. When the communist yoke was lifted, the liberalists in Russia sighed in relief. Again more so in the satellite states.
But claiming that Ukraine was and has always been non-sympathetic to communism is outright a lie.”
Maurice was not fully convinced.
“So you are saying that because of the soviet past, Ukraine wants to pretend it was 100% forced to be Ukrainian SSR despite the will of everybody. I think you also paint a picture here. Coercion played a bigger role Ukraine. I would characterise the civil war as a revolution won by a minority. The Bolshevist’s were simply more determined to win at all costs.”
“I don’t disagree. We still need a few adjustments to that picture: If you read Lenin, there is no doubt at all that the revolutionaries were convinced that the forces of history were on their side. They truly believed that they liberated the oppressed masses against tyranny.”
“This was in the early twenties, right?”
“Yes.” Benedict didn’t want to discuss further. He also had some glaring omissions in his history reading that he desperately wanted to catch up on.
SHUFRYCH N.I. (OPPOSITION PLATFORM - FOR LIFE)
[..] it is necessary to relieve the tension on the demarcation line. Some say there will be a war, others say there won’t be a war, today we were convinced that there won’t be one, they say in an interview that there will be. Everyone is already confused. Foreign teachers are fleeing, diplomats are already fleeing the country, investors are fleeing, the economy is at a standstill.
— A quip on Denisova —
“There is a longer quip about Lyudmila Denisova, the Ombudsman that got fired by Zelensky in 2022. It seems like a politicised trifle…”
“It may reveal deeper problems. The opposition party try to broaden the issue.”
KOLTUNOVYCH O.S., (OPPOSITION PLATFORM - FOR LIFE)
Illegal, unconstitutional sanctions against Ukrainian citizens were introduced in the country.
[…]
Five independent informational TV channels were illegally closed: NewsOne , ZIK , “112 Ukraine”, UKRLIFE and “First Independent”. Where is our Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada? Why are the rights of journalists violated in a cynical way?
HERASHCHENKO I.V. (EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY)
But today we see selective justice not only in criminal proceedings against the opposition, but also in the consideration of this issue. In fact, the authorities are trying to clean up all disloyals, take revenge on everyone who does not obey Bankova’s will
“But what about:”
ZHELEZNYAK Y.I. (VOICE)
[…] Mrs. Denisova found the courage to send an appeal to the previous Speaker of the Parliament to send the draft law on oligarchs’ PR to the Venice Commission. The Office of the President did not like this very much […]
“Chaotic. Good for democracy, I’d say. Them fighting each other.”
26.01.2022
https://www.rada.gov.ua/meeting/stenogr/show/7938.html
“Now the topic of community self defence seems to be talked about.”
On the ground, people must know what to do and how to act tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and other days.
“Yesterday someone from the army suggested arming the public. You used to have issues with that in particular, right?”
“Yeah… you’re thinking about this quote:”
SHARASKIN A.A.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny confirmed today that if law-abiding citizens had the opportunity to have self-defense weapons, this would become a very serious preventive measure against the aggressor. [25.01.2022]
“Dammit, why not keep the distinction between combatant and non-combatant”. Benedict was visibly angry. “They would have been protected as non-combatants by Geneva Convention. But if they start to wave around with handguns, that goes out the window.”
“Different attitudes towards the coming days from Poroshenko versus Shufrych of the Opposition Party.”
POROSHENKO P.O.
For three months, the entire white world has sounded the alarm about the accumulation of troops on the borders of Ukraine by Muscovy. For three months, the whole world has been thinking about how to help Ukraine increase its defense capabilities by sending weapons, consolidating international solidarity, and everyone is doing it except for the Ukrainian authorities. And we really don’t need to panic, we don’t need to think about whether Putin will attack or not, we need to prepare to give a high-quality rebuff if diplomatic efforts do not stop him.
[…]
In 2021, for the needs of the army, Zelensky conducted tenders for the amount, think about it, 10 times less than the funds allocated for the mega-corruption “big theft “. And it is not for nothing that they call this theft big, because they feel the scale in their own pockets. The so-called big theft is Zelenskyi’s main business project
SHUFRYCH N.I.
People are already joking: let’s declare war and surrender in order to end this nightmare as soon as possible. Today, only the Minsk agreements will guarantee peace in our country. You have to think about it.
“.. But then Bondarev of Fatherland still thinks it’s pertinent to get back to business. They bus ticket system.”
“Then back to agricultural mechanisation, climate change, something on alimony, social services, sports…”
“Well, except for the opposition party, who talk constantly about Minsk and the approaching war, the parliament members seem to have at least an elevated awareness that the war may be a possibility. But they don’t seem to plan on avoiding it. Rather it is a necessary evil. Ukraine will fight the aggressor, no doubt about it. Time to find another 50B hryvnias somewhere.”
/PARADOX