Couldn’t Have Said it Better

How Geography Explains Russian Colonialism

 

A bit of history and geography to explain Russian colonialism, courtesy of Volodymyr Kukharenko.

And why Ukrainians are different than Russians:

“This is the soil fertility map. Most of European best soil is located in Ukraine, and also in Russia. The Russian fertile lands are actually those taken from other nations in conquests, even now a great part of the population there are Caucasian and Turkic nations, and some regions were populated by ethnic Ukrainians in the past. “Original” Moskowia did not have such lands when it started its conquests. 

“This is the answer to many questions. People that lived on the territory of Ukraine were farmers for thousands of years. This land could feed so many people that in pre-industrial times when agriculture was the main pillar of the economy Ukraine was one of the most populated lands in the world. This is why Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Romans could not take it. This is why in 1100 Kyiv was 4th largest city in Europe while Moskow was not yet founded. This is why people were always ready to defend their land because it gave them life and prosperity. Ukraine never had natural famines. And 48% of the world population now speaks Indo-European languages that started from the area which is now mostly Ukraine and Romania

“Moskovites (Merya tribe) were nomads and started farming only in 7th century at the earliest. The first metal tools found in their area are daring back only 2000 years ago, and most likely they started making their own metal tools 1500 years ago. So they just exited the stone age at the time when Kyiv was founded. And they did not have time to develop new agricultural traditions and culture, so they just tried to adapt their nomadic ways to new reality. And nomads do not need to develop own lands, they just use it, and also loot the farmers. A farmer can feed himself alone, a nomad needs a strong leader to survive. Farmers may fight with each other, to get more land and develop it. Nomads would just raid and rob, without investing in the development. And it does not matter that now the descendant of farmers and nomads are living in the 21st century, the habits remain even after the centuries. Russia now raids and robs Ukraine, and Moskow robs the provinces inside of Russia.

“Times have changed, and now the economy is defined not only by agriculture. But Ukraine feeds 10 times more people than its own population. Most of the Ukrainian crops go to North Africa and Asia. And if people there start starving, they will flock into European Union trying to save themselves. So the longer Russians are in Ukraine, the more people in Africa and Europe will suffer. And now, after they have destroyed the Kakhovka dam and ruined the irrigation in southern Ukraine, the food price will go up, as with the reduction of Ukrainian supplies.