Is Russia a threat to Western Europa and the U.S.?

In my article “What kind of a country is modern Ukraine?” I have provided some examples that situation in the sphere of rights of ethnic minorities and in the sphere of freedom of speech in Ukraine has become worse as compared with the situation before the so-called Euromaidan.

That article has been discussed on Internet forums and some American users have written that it does not matter much for them what kind of a country is modern Ukraine. In their opinion, the main thing is that Ukraine is now fighting against Russia and therefore Western Europa and the U.S. must help Ukraine because Russia – as a variant “Russia under V. Putin” is allegedly a threat to Western Europa and the U.S.

And in this article, I am going to consider the question: Is Russia really a threat to Western Europa or the U.S.?

Ukrainian laws on ethnic minorities

There have been two main subjects in the first part of this article – freedom of speech and rights of ethnic minorities in modern Ukraine.

I would like to add some information about these rights.

What kind of a country is modern Ukraine?

When the question “What kind of a country is modern Ukraine?” is asked, Americans usually answer that it doesn’t matter for them, what kind of a country modern Ukraine is.

However, in the past it did matter for Americans what kind of a country Libya was in 2011 when the U.S. bombed it; or it did matter for Americans what kind of a country Iraq was in 2003 when U.S. invaded it, etc.

The second Americans’ answer to the question “What kind of a country is modern Ukraine?” is the answer “Modern Ukraine may be a not especially good country now, but it is changing for the better”.

In this article, I am going to consider both above-mentioned theses.

Ukrainian media get out of Zelensky’s control

Post-Maidan Ukrainian authorities exert control over media in their country in two ways. On the one hand, these authorities forbid work of opposition media; see here a decision of the Ukrainian Council for Broadcasting revoking licenses of seven Ukrainian  opposition television companies.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian authorities often do nothing when opposition journalists are attacked or even killed in Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities may organize another “Bucha” now

In order to beg for money and weapons from the West, it is vital for Ukrainian authorities that the Ukrainian crisis is constantly among the main topics in the Western media.

However, since the first decade of October the main attention of the world community has been drawn to the situation in the Middle East; see above the screenshot of the main page of the news section of the BBC as of October 09, 2023.
All top eleven news headlines focused on the situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

The UN has not confirmed “deportation” of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia

 

After threats of Ukrainian authorities to use military measures in order to “reintegrate” the Crimea into Ukraine (see here), the Russian Federation started its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

After a while, the Ukrainian authorities began to accuse Russia of deporting Ukrainian children to the Russian territory.

Situation with respect to mass media in Russia and Ukraine

Western media and politicians tell very much about mass media in Russia where – in Western opinion – mass media and journalists are allegedly persecuted. But the Western media and politicians tell very little about Ukrainian mass media and journalists.

Therefore, in this article I am going to offer some information about situation in Ukraine in this sphere.