deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Yesterday was a state holiday in Ukraine to celebrate its independence. It is the second largest country in Europe, only Russia is bigger. Ukraine was an independent country before Russia ‘absorbed’ it in the early 1900s. The relationship has always been contentious between Ukraine and Russia.

With the non-stop tensions and outright fighting with Russia there have been a number of times Ukraine has declared its independence. As early as 1918 there was legislation stating their independence. With the fall of the old Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine declared its State Sovereignty.

Matters have never been peaceful since this event. There has always been a faction in Russia that considers Ukraine to be rightfully Russian. Outright war began in 2014.

The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war began in April 2014, when Russian paramilitaries seized several towns. Ukraine’s military launched an operation against them, but failed to fully retake the territory. Covertly, Russia’s military were directly involved, and the separatists were largely under Russian control. The war continued until subsumed by the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This war continues to this day.

The illegal invasion by Russia has stoked world opinion and controversy for three years now. Europe has been pro Ukraine for the entire time. Canada has stepped up and delivered on their support. USA support has been inconsistent and the current administration has demonstrated gross incompetence.