By Valeriy Goloborodko
Ever since Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, the fledgling country has struggled to maintain its prosperity and sovereignty amidst crippling corruption and Russian political sabotage. Ukrainian protesters earlier this year ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych, a Russian toady who had imprisoned the country in a system of racketeering and crime.
The protests erupted when Yanukovych abandoned a pending deal with the European Union. Ukrainians see Russia’s aggression in Crimea as merely its latest and most blatant attempt to undermine their sovereignty. They refuse to be bullied any longer for their patriotic feelings.
Russia’s stated reasons for involvement in Crimea are disingenuous and hypocritical. Officially it seeks to protect itself from NATO aggression and to protect the Russian-speaking population of Crimea from a fascist Ukrainian regime. In truth the Ukrainian ethnic minority in Crimea is too small to oppress ethnic Russian citizens there even if it wanted to, which it doesn’t. Russian involvement in Crimea actually seeks to reunite the Slavs under Russian leadership and to claim Crimea’s large petroleum reserves and industrial enterprises for the glory of a revived Russian empire.
The conflict in Ukraine may seem far away, but for Seattle’s Ukrainian-American community, which counts more than 60,000 people, it hits very close to home. Even for Americans with no Ukrainian ties, the conflict is more relevant than it seems. This is not the first time that Vladimir Putin’s Russia has engaged in expansionist behavior, and unless the aggression is checked, it won’t be the last. As Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko met with American and Canadian leaders last month, Russian strategic bombers buzzed Alaskan airspace. Russia is sending the West a message about its involvement in Ukraine. It’s time the West sent a message of its own.
King County’s Republican Party recently supported Ukraine’s democratic way to prosperity in a resolution expressing full moral support for Ukrainians and recognizing Russia as an aggressor against a sovereign and independent Ukraine. This is one important way of showing support, though of course actions speak louder than words.
Valeriy Goloborodko is CEO of Bellevue-based payment processing company Goel Payment Solutions, as well as president of the Ukrainian Business Association. He can be contacted at val.g@nwuba.org.
