Dear Editor,

[Re: Stop help to Ukraine, 91原创 Advance Times, Oct. 19]

As a person of Slavic descent who speaks both Ukrainian and Russian, who has relatives in both countries and travelled to both countries many times, I can offer some information on the present situation.

I have maintained offices in Moscow, Kyiv, and Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine. In Donetsk, there was never any danger to the Russian language as all the newspapers, school books, and library books were in Russian. Only when Putin鈥檚 鈥済reen men鈥� showed up did the problems begin. As for the Nazis, I never did encounter any as I also do not like them.

My parents fled Ukraine in 1929, just before the Iron Curtain came down and Stalin and the Soviet Union starved about 6,000,000 Ukrainians. About 30,000 are buried in a mass grave on my father鈥檚 farm (Holodomor, 1931 to 32). My wife fled Estonia to Sweden during the Russian occupation (Stalin鈥檚 Liberation) of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The West offered no help nor negotiation on the illegal occupation of these countries, thereby keeping Stalin very happy.

Putin has made it very plain that he wants to re-establish the Soviet Union (CCCP) by claiming back all the territories. Putin thought he could retake Ukraine in a matter of days with little or no opposition from the USA or NATO, and then move on to Moldova, Poland, Kazakstan, and others.

Fortunately for Ukraine, NATO and the USA thwarted Putin鈥檚 plans by providing weapons in advance of the invasion. All of NATO and even Finland and Sweden saw this invasion coming. Both Sweden and Finland saw the danger of Russia wanting to expand territories and joined NATO for protection.

A warrant for Putin鈥檚 arrest has been issued by the International Court in the Hague for the genocide of Ukrainians has been issued (300 children in Mariupol alone) plus hundreds of abducted children which have been taken to Russia. Yet some people support him.

Had not the USA purchased Alaska, Canada would have a several hundred-mile border with Russia, the same as Finland, and probably the same results, the need for a well-fortified border. All help should be given to countries threatened by Russia as Russia has no end to acquiring new territories.

I am sponsoring several children in Ukraine who live in an apartment building that has no water or heat, thanks to Putin trying to acquire new territory. Their school was also destroyed.

Walter Stunder, 91原创 City

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