Relevant to your response, unlike yours to what I said. I was in China, I could have run a smoke belching power station burning cards for prostitutes pushed under my door. Developing corrupt nations have problems. Oh, Chernobyl is in Ukraine FYI.
Well Russia has influenced Ukraine for the worse since for as long as I can remember. The Russians like to centralize power through oligarchs and strongman leaders. The Ukrainians really started moving more western after Crimea was taken. Their democracy has become pretty solid. And with democracy comes accountability. Or at least more accountability to the people than the authoritarian system that comes out of alliance with the Kremlin. I’m pretty hopeful Ukraine will clean up pretty well after this war if for no other reason the Ukrainians despise the Russians and that will hopefully lead to total rejection of the Russian way and corruption and influence that comes with the Russian system. Time will tell but the Ukrainian people have proven their courage and desire to choose their own destiny. I doubt this generation of Ukrainians will bend to strongmen and oligarchs.
Chernobyl Children International (CCI) is a non-profit, international development, medical, and humanitarian organisation that works with children, families and communities that continue to be affected by the economic outcome of the 1986 Chernobyl accident. The organisation's founder and chief executive is Adi Roche. Before 2010, it was known as Chernobyl Children's Project International (CCPI). That's just the Irish one, there are many others. So you see. We have a relationship going back a while now.
Yes, of course, Ukrainians have the right to choose their own destiny, but this freedom, as long as Russia is outside the NATO wolfpack led by the US, will always have caveats attached, just like the sovereignty of Latin American countries will be challenged by the NATO if Russia or China were to have their military bases there. You guys are being naive here, bullies will remain bullies until they are replaced by other bullies, both US and Russia bully other smaller nations because they can and need to protect their own national interests.
The heavy losses of an elite Russian regiment in Ukraine https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60946340