Crime Here?

This is Simferopol's registry office, where we were married.

I never intended this blog to become political. On the whole, I find politics amazingly boring, as do most people, but I have to write this post because I think that many people have just not heard the truth. They are probably not going to hear (or read) the truth because most TV news outlets in the UK and in the USA have not treated this subject in a fair and even-handed manner. I used to be (and to some extent I still am) a great fan of the BBC, but the BBC’s coverage of this issue has not been fair, balanced or unbiased. Well, this piece in my blog is going to try to present the other side of the coin, the side that CNN and the BBC do not want you to think about. So what am I going to write about? Russia’s “annexation” or “invasion” of the Crimea.

The T34 tank was nicknamed "the Snow King".

Russian casualties in the Second World War were 20 million. Huge swathes of Russian territory were occupied by the Nazi forces and from their panzers the invaders could see the spires and domes of Moscow. The suffering caused to the Russian people and the sacrifices that were made, not just by their armed forces but also by countless civilians, cannot really be calculated or even imagined, as they are so great. The Americans and the Brits never experienced what the Russians went through and so it is not surprising that really we do not understand where they are coming from.

Was the Crimea really part of the Ukraine? Well, technically yes, as Khrushchev decided to “give” it to the Ukraine in the 1950s. But in the 1950s, the Soviet Union was still very much in existence, so Russia and the Ukraine were not separate states as they are today. Khruschev’s action was largely symbolic and it did not amount to much at the time. 

But was the Crimea really “Russian” or was it really “Ukrainian”? In the 19^th century, a great deal of Russian blood was spilt in the Crimean War, defending the region from the British and French invasion. Some Brits might get misty-eyed whenever anyone mentions the Crimean War (Florence Nightingale and Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade), but it probably was not quite so noble or heroic. I do not suppose that the Russians were happy to see two foreign armies invading their country.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am sure that some of Putin’s methods are pretty nasty. After all, he was ex-KGB. But let us try to see things within a proper context. Did Stalin respect human rights? Did Brezhnev believe in the Freedom of the Press? Was there democratic freedom under the Tsars? Did Beria help little old ladies across the road? Yes, the BBC made a big fuss of the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury, but most Russians probably thought that he had it coming. (After all, Skripal had betrayed his country by becoming a double agent and helping the western intelligence services). Did Skripal's treachery put the lives of other Russian spies at risk? Yes, it probably did. Incidentally, Kim Philby sent his sons to my old school, Lord Wandsworth College. And did everyone think that Kim Philby was such a nice guy, when in fact he was a traitor?  

So are most people in the Crimea happy that they are now part of Russia once more? The answer to that one has to be yes. That was the impression that I was given during my time in Simferopol. Let me give you a few reasons why that might be.

First of all, most people in the Crimea speak Russian as their first language. When the government in Kiev decided to stop the Russian language being used in schools and on TV stations, this stirred up a lot of resentment.  

Thank you, Mr. Putin.

Secondly, the Russian Orthodox Church has a strong influence in the region. After the “takeover”, a huge ruined church in the centre of Simferopol was beautifully restored. And who was the main person behind the restoration effort? Vladimir Putin. While the western press love making a fuss about Pussy Riot, my guess is that most Russians just think that they are a bunch of silly girls who love to have lots of media attention. When we were in Yalta, we went inside the wedding cake church during a service. The singing was beautiful (no drums or electric guitars, thank goodness) and all of the women wore headscarves. Yes, of course most of them took their scarves off as soon as they left the church, but it was respectful and it showed that they felt that a Christian church is a special place. That is why I believe that many Russians support Putin and they think that Pussy Riot’s obscenities and outrages should be firmly punished.

She is giving flowers to one of the Russian "invaders"

Thirdly, many people in the Crimea had heard about the chaotic events in Kiev, so the Russian forces were not seen as an “invading” force, but one that would preserve stability and keep order. Right in the centre of Simferopol there are two statues. A tough-looking Russian soldier, armed to the teeth, is being presented with a bunch of flowers by a sweet-looking little girl. Yes, okay, so little girls might not understand much about the United Nations and international law. (Maybe lots of sweet little Austrian girls gave flowers to the SS troopers during the Anchluss.)

Karl Marx still gets a street to himself.

Fourthly, the government in Kiev had done nothing for the Crimea for years. For example, the botanical gardens near the family apartment in Pervomaiskya were overgrown and usually closed, but after 2014 they were lovingly re-established and opened to the public. (Irena and I had a wander around the gardens on the day before I left and they really are beautiful now.)

Simferopol's new airport is very impressive.

Fifthly, it is clear that the people of the Crimea have benefitted (and are going to benefit even more in the future) from the infrastructure investment that is pouring into the region. The amazingly swanky new airport in Simferopol is just one of many projects that are already finished or soon will be. The new bridge linking the Crimea to the mainland is another source of pride, judging by the number of bridge-related fridge magnets for sale in the market. The new ring road around Simferopol is also going to be impressive when it is finished.

In Simfereopol, with my brother-in-law, Yevgenny

Sixthly (and I am nearly finished), we should remember that Sevastopol has always been a huge Russian military base. Talking about a Russian "invasion" of the Crimea is like saying that the British Army has invaded Aldershot or that the American Marines have captured West Point.

While we were wandering around the botanical gardens in the sunshine, we noticed that there were some memorials for professors of Botany at the local university. Then we noted a chilling little reminder of the past: almost every single one of those professors was murdered in the early 1920s. In other words, these professors of Botany (and other plant-related disciplines) were all murdered by the Communists just because they were professors. If you were to see a memorial like that in your local park, then maybe you would think rather differently about any leader who can give your country peace and stability. 

Vladimir Putin has given Russia a period of peace and prosperity. More than that, Putin has also given the Russians their self respect, so once again they are proud of their country and their culture. Now you might say that the cost (beating up journalists and other forms of political repression) has been way too high. Well, some journalists in the BBC do not seem too keen on telling the truth, so most Russians would probably not be upset if a few of them were beaten up. I think that many Russian people, both in the Crimea and elsewhere, are fed up with the lies that foreign journalists are writing about their president and about their country.

You cannot hope to bribe or twist,
thank God! the British journalist.
But, seeing what the man will do
unbribed, there's no occasion to.