Posted on 07/06/2014 1:37:26 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
MOSCOW (Reuters) - When she was asked to give up a day's pay to help Crimea, Russian hospital therapist Tatyana could not hide her anger - why should she subsidise others when struggling to make ends meet herself?
Living in southern Russia close to the border with Ukraine, Tatyana was caught up in the euphoria that gripped the nation when Russia annexed Crimea in March and still welcomes "our" people back in the fold.
But more than three months on, she is worried that her wage of 9,000 roubles ($260) a month is not stretching as far as it used to, and fears she will be forced to take on extra work to cover the rising cost of food and utilities.
Patriotism spurred by President Vladimir Putin's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea still runs deep in Russia, but the cold reality of paying for the Black Sea region is setting in and threatens to test an economy brought low by Western sanctions.
In Tatyana's hometown of Taganrog, the request for hospital workers to sacrifice a day's pay was taken up by only a few - by those people, she says, who wanted to impress their employers.
"The bosses informed us of this in June in a tone which made clear they recommended it ... They distributed and asked us to fill out a form for the donation. People started complaining - why should they donate to Crimea?" said Tatyana, 52, who declined to give her surname for fear of retribution.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...
Like when West Germany absorbed East Germany.
And north Italy would be better off without south Italy.
Russia takes over and Crimea becomes a Basket case ,best of all it only took a few months
Where are the Putinista butt boys to explain to her that love hurts? They know the score. They feel her pain.
Why do you think Putin is holding back using a full blown invasion of Ukraine. First the fighing would destroy the gas lines depriving Russia means to export for cash to Europe. The second problem is how will Russia (GDP only 2 trillion) support Russian Ukrainians whose standard of living is lower then the Russians. Add to that a mini arms race with NATO and occupation costs of holding down the non Russian Ukrainians. Russia will go the way of the Soviet Union, too much financial pressure leading to economic collapse. Even if Russia does not collapse, a stressed Russia will drive Russia deeper into the control of a more powerful and richer (GDP of 14 trillion) China. Putin is learning very quickly that in a world with many potential super powers, the first ones that fight will lose.
All good reasons not to invade Ukraine.
....”When she was asked to give up a day’s pay to help Crimea, Russian hospital therapist Tatyana could not hide her anger - why should she subsidise others when struggling to make ends meet herself?”......
Why? Because that’s how it works when this form of transition takes place. Looks like Russians in Crimea need a lesson that nothings free. Did they think everything would simply be handed to them overnight?
Old story is you have to ‘put your own skin’ in to appreciate what you have....and that goes for all things.
Heck Americans do it every day! Well most Americans.
40 million pissed off Ukrainians are not Abkhazia.
They are masters of guerilla war, having fought Hitler and Stalin for independence, knowing their Russian “brothers” so well, would disintegrate Putin’s Empire with thousands cuts.
Putin’s “dream” of scaring Ukrainians to join his “Greater Russia” with bunch of masked bandits is evaporating. Afghanistan compared to Ukraine is chicken sheeeet.
Slava Ukraini! Heroiam Slava!
The grass always looks greener. :-)
We’ve a handful on FreeRepublic who are in love with Putin. They cannot stand to see him criticized.
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