Mar. 11—SELINSGROVE — The Russian assault on Ukraine is dire, said an Ukrainian native Thursday at Susquehanna University.
Lyudmyla Ardan, an assistant professor of economics, Susquehanna University, spoke during a panel discussion on the Ukrainian conflict with Russia.
“I think that Putin hates Ukrainians,” Ardan said. “Ukrainians are not Russian. We change our leaders every four years, so we have been positioning ourselves with the West. We don’t want to have anything to do with Russia. I feel like he hates us for being a Democratic country. Wanting to be independent. Back in 2013, the Ukrainian people decided they wanted to be part of the European Union.
“But leadership then was pro-Putin. There were protests at the time, and protestors were sent to jail,” she said. “I feel like Putin is trying to punish us for wanting to be closer to the West.”
Nicholas Clark, chair and associate professor of political science moderated the panel discussion, which was streamed live over the Zoom platform. Also on the panel was Andrea Lopez, associate professor of political science.
Russia is pushing false narratives to justify the attacks, Ardan said, including that Ukraine is developing nuclear weapons and committing genocide by bombing other Ukrainians.
“The Russian media is under total control by the state, and to them, the United States is behind everything,” she said. “I’ve talked to my Russian relatives and they believe the propaganda. I get upset looking at the Russian media.”
Ardan said she is in constant touch with her father, who still lives in their hometown of Kolomiya, in Western Ukraine and relatives and friends in Russia.
Putin is getting crazier and crazier, Ardan said.
Her father lives in Western Ukraine, “which is pretty quiet, my father said.” But there are indications that Putin will move west after his Eastern campaign, she said.
Lopez’s input to the panel was more military and strategic aspects of the conflict.
“Putin’s idea is to recreate the Russian empire,” Lopez said.
She said one of the reasons the situation has gotten to this point is “Russians felt humiliated after the fall of the Soviet Union. They felt the West came in and took advantage of them. They were weak.”
“Now Russia is strong and the perception is that the West is weak,” Lopez said. “Hence, the invasion.”
Putin’s strategy now is similar to the bombing in Syria, where the targets are civilians, and hospitals, Lopez said.
Ardan said she believes Kiev has two weeks supply of food.
“Kiev will fall in about a month,” she said.
