Let's Talk About Russya and Ukraine

   Well, how timely.  Several books have been released of late that discuss Russya's adventures in Ukraine and other exotic locales. 
     We begin with "Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine".  This modern examination of a political act of mass murder was written by Anne Applebaum, recently interviewed on NPR.  The experienced researcher, writer, and lecturer, has compiled the narrative story of how Stalin and his Politburo came down hard on the population of Ukraine in 1932 to 1935, depriving the agricultural farmers of the Ukraine with sufficient food to survive.  5 million Ukrainians died as a result of this political policy to subdue the opponents of collectivization of the economy.   Massed teams of enforcers were sent into even the smallest villages to take food from homes, thereby guaranteeing starvation.
    The name for this activity:  "Holodomor".  This literally translates as "hunger extermination", an artificial famine created by government order, ie. Stalin.
     Holomodor
     Holomodor
     Holomodor
     Robert Conquest's book brought the story to light in his book in 1986.   The British historian's book opened the door to other academics to study the documents that came to light after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989.   The story is hardly complete, but the initial efforts have managed to dispel much of the Russyan efforts to hide the truth.
    A book worth reading in today's toxic international landscape, and Mr. Putin's sleazy efforts to place his troops in foreign countries without anyone noticing his actions.
    Nice try, Vladimir, but we are on to you.