One reason I have followed this Ukraine-RU conflict is that many aspects are weird so I tried to figure things out.

I listen to youtube videos via Roku. I would never watch them straight on. More like talk radio.

Some wars made more sense. The Japanese wanted an empire like the west but they were late to the party. Comfort women? Why not. The Germans wanted more land to the east. Their Jewish pogrom was more efficient than most. There were so many Jews in Germany because Germany was more welcoming than other countries especially Russia, and Poland.

Zelensky ran on a peace program, said that the Russians and Ukrainians were one people, and said he would never discriminate against the Russian language as that was his native language.

NOW in no particular order.
https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1925180823105318959
🇺🇦 Ukranian entertainer rolled her eyes when she was asked to sing a song in Ukranian.

She, as many Ukranians, is a Russian speaker.

At first she was prosecuted for inciting racial hatred! Now she is also prosecuted for high treason!

TREASON FOR ROLLING EYES!

Ukraine 2025

At first the Police have opened a criminal case against the blogger Anna Alkhim for "inciting ethnic hatred," said parliamentary MP Natalia Pipa.

Alkhim's "crime" is that she rolled her eyes and mumbled something at a christening to which she was invited when the host asked her to sing a song in Ukrainian.

After this, serviceman and former main character of the 13th season of the show "The Bachelor" Oleksandr "Teren" Budko filed a complaint against her with the SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office.

In the complaint, Budko accused Alkhim of "collaboration activities."

Now the police have opened another case against Dnipropetrovsk blogger Anna Alkhim under the article "high treason".

This was reported by MP Pipa, at whose request these proceedings were opened.

Treason for rolling eyes!
She supposedly said блять, сука, нахуй". f*ck b*tch f*ck
*****

In short, Lex Friedman interviewed Zelensky. They both speak fluent Russian but Zelensky did not want that because of political reasons. Zelensky speaks poor Ukrainian and poor english. Friedman also speaks good english. It was translated and dubbed into english, russian and ukrainian. When his Ukrainian falter he used russian or english.

Grok says

Conducted in a mix of languages: Zelenskyy primarily spoke in Ukrainian, emphasizing its importance to Ukrainian identity and sovereignty, especially given Russia's use of the Russian language as a pretext for its invasion. He stated, "I would like to give an interview in Ukrainian. This is very important to me," citing Russian attacks on Ukraine and the misuse of the "protection of Russian speakers" narrative. He occasionally used Russian and English to clarify points or respond to Fridman, who is fluent in Russian but not Ukrainian.


I asked for deeper search
Based on the available information, it is highly likely that when Zelenskyy spoke in Russian during the original interview, his voice was AI-dubbed into Russian for the Russian audio track as part of the full translation and dubbing process.

***
30 years ago Ukrainian was almost never heard in Kiev. Now it is forced.
The Zelensky staff meeting are in Russian.
Ukrainian is a rural agrarian language.
Russian was a city language in ukraine and is also the language of an empire, like english or spanish.
In eastern Ukraine, russians built cities and forts amongst villages.
There were advantages to learning the russian language.
Around 1900 residents would ID as Russian, little russian, cossak, jew, or ruthenian. Ukrainian as an group iD was then a creation of intellectuals that had not caught on yet. 

Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union for around 70 years, so it is not surprising many speak Russian. What is surprising, to me at least, is how far off Zelensky was on the pulse of the people, where their loyalties were. So in the back of my mind, I wonder, was he that far off, or was this war a way for a select few to make untold millions?

https://www.infowars.com/posts/major-ukraine-war-escalation-50000-russian-troops-are-amassing-near-ukraines-second-largest-city-kharkiv-in-preparation-for-a-major-russian-offensive/

https://twitter.com/i/status/1926390327205630061


It was obvious sitting around a table in a safe location was not going to get Zelensky to sign a peace accord. I'm not sure this will either. I don't think the man is that intelligent. It will take generations to repopulate Ukraine.

Quote from: Possum on May 24, 2025, 05:48:37 AMUkraine was a part of the Soviet Union for around 70 years, so it is not surprising many speak Russian. What is surprising, to me at least, is how far off Zelensky was on the pulse of the people, where their loyalties were. So in the back of my mind, I wonder, was he that far off, or was this war a way for a select few to make untold millions?

There are Russians in the area of current Ukraine because they have been there for hundreds of years long before Ukraine SSR was invented.

I looked into this. I wondered if USSR or Russia conquered Ukrainian cities. Mostly no.  In short, population was low and the Russian empire built cities and forts near settlements in the area of current Ukraine hundreds of year ago. Russia built cities and spoke Russian. The locals did not self ID as Ukrainian in any significant degree until after 1900. Russian was a city language and the language of an empire. Ukrainian or similar languages were rural agrarian languages. City languages and empire languages win out all over the world as people want to better themselves.

Note that a political entity named Ukraine having a border and a capital was first created in 1922 by Lenin/USSR. There were two attempts in 1918 that failed. Ukraine meant border or frontier, of the Russian empire. A geographical term like Appalachia.

The cities in the ukr west are old and the western border a mess thanks to WWI, WWII and other wars.

This is the origin of major cities in current Ukraine. I am cutting and pasting from a file. From Grok.

Kyiv (often spelled Kiev in older sources) is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, with its establishment traditionally dated to 482 CE. Its exact founding date is based on legend and historical tradition rather than precise archaeological evidence.

Lviv (historically known as Lwów in Polish, Lemberg in German, and Lvov in Russian) was officially founded in 1256 by King Daniel of Galicia (Danylo Halytskyi), a ruler of the medieval Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area of modern-day Lviv was inhabited long before its official founding, with Slavic tribes settling there as early as the 5th and 6th centuries.

By the 14th century, Lviv became part of the Kingdom of Poland after the collapse of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia.
Under Polish rule, it flourished as a major trading hub and gained a multicultural character, with Poles, Ruthenians (Ukrainians), Jews, Armenians, and Germans contributing to its development.

In 1772, following the First Partition of Poland, Lviv (then Lemberg) became part of the Austrian Empire and later Austria-Hungary.
It remained a cultural and political center, particularly for Ukrainians and Poles, throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Dnipro (formerly known as Dnipropetrovsk) was established in 1776 as a fortress called Katerynoslav (in honor of Catherine the Great of Russia).

    The area where Dnipro stands had been inhabited for centuries, with ancient settlements dating back to Scythian times.
    In the 18th century, as the Russian Empire sought to expand and consolidate its control over the Black Sea region, the city was founded as a military and administrative outpost.

    Initially, it was a small fortress meant to protect the southern borders of the empire and serve as a center for agricultural and commercial activity.
    Its location on the Dnipro River allowed it to become a strategic trading hub, further bolstering its growth.

    In 1802, the city was renamed Ekaterinoslav (or Yekaterinoslav), in honor of Empress Catherine the Great.

Donetsk was officially established in 1869 as a small settlement around the Yuzivka Iron Works (also known as the Yuzivka Plant), a major coal mining and industrial enterprise founded by the Welsh industrialist John Hughes. The settlement quickly grew into a key industrial city in the Russian Empire due to the discovery of rich coal deposits in the region.

The area where Donetsk is located had been inhabited by Cossacks and other groups long before its industrial founding.

Zaporizhzhia was established by the Cossacks, though its formal foundation as a city occurred in the late 18th century. Initially, the area around modern Zaporizhzhia was a stronghold of the Zaporizhian Cossacks, who lived there in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Cossacks built fortifications called "sichs" on the islands in the Dnieper River, with the most famous one being the Zaporizhian Sich.

In 1770, the settlement that would later become Zaporizhzhia was officially founded as a fortress and administrative center by the Russian Empire. It was part of Catherine the Great's effort to strengthen Russian control over the southern territories of Ukraine and integrate them into the empire.

Kryvyi Rih was founded in 1775 as a small Cossack settlement. The establishment of the town is attributed to the expansion of Russian imperial control over the Ukrainian territory during the reign of Catherine the Great. It began as a settlement near the rich iron ore deposits found in the region.

The area around Kryvyi Rih had been inhabited by Cossacks, and its strategic location near valuable natural resources made it an attractive place for settlement. However, it wasn't until the late 18th century that the settlement began to grow significantly, initially due to its role in mining and metallurgy. Over time, the city's industrial development turned Kryvyi Rih into one of Ukraine's largest and most important industrial centers.

Some Ukr talent show it seems. At lest the back women are men. Take a close look

https://t.me/putingers_cat/13880
◾️As my friend @putingers_cat says... In this week episode of "Ukraine of the brain", a new Ukrainian anthem was released!

I'm sure the Narco Fuhrer Zelenskiy approves.

◾️Follow:
https://t.me/European_dissident