In August 2011, my wife and I spent eighteen days in Ukraine and Russia. Our tour included four days in Kyiv and two weeks cruising from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The M/S Rossia was a relatively small ship with just 216 passengers, so there was ample opportunity to become acquainted with other passengers and the ship’s staff when not ashore on a guided tour.

Our tour program director and guide the entire time in Russia was a young man named Igor. He was a graduate of a Russian university, majoring in economics, spoke five languages and his English was excellent. He aspired to come to the United States and obtain an MBA degree from an American university. He and I talked often during our time in his country about his aspirations and possibilities.

We also talked about the Russian government and Vladimir Putin, who was then in high office for over 10 years. Igor had strong, negative opinions about the man. Putin was Russia’s president from 2000 to 2008 and due to term limits and was prime minister again at the time of our visit. Many Russian citizens, including Igor, believed Putin called the shots — not the president.

When Putin took over the government, it appeared to me that he would be the stabilizing force which Russia needed and that he would be a great leader. Igor disagreed with my assessment. He said that Putin might have had a stabilizing effect, but he was already becoming highly autocratic and an enabler of a close group of supporters who were acquiring and privatizing former Soviet state properties and businesses at very little cost and operating them for their own and his private gain. They are the “oligarchs,” those who’s multi-million dollar super yachts are being impounded as a result of U.S. and European sanctions.

Igor was not reluctant to speak out about what displeased him about his country or its leadership, despite the fact that, as he shared with our tour group earlier, his grandfather had been exiled to Siberia by Stalin for life for publicly criticizing the Soviet dictator. Igor saw Putin as just another autocrat, with a Stalinist vision of a restored Soviet empire and one who never valued a democratic form of government for Russia. That’s how Igor’s saw it in 2011. Since then, Putin has invaded Georgia and annexed Crimea from Ukraine. He views the independent Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, as part of his restored Russian Empire. His invasion of Ukraine is further fulfillment of his vision.

Vladimir Putin sees himself as a 21st Century Czar. He cannot tolerate a democracy on his doorstep. A democratic government in Ukraine or any neighboring country is already viewed by many Russians as a welcome alternative to his autocratic rule. Putin is a despot who fears not only his loss of power, but for his life and his fortune; therefore, he must destroy all possible threats, including democracy in Ukraine.

Igor was right. Putin will stop at nothing to realize his vision and protect his personal interests. He has already put his nuclear capabilities on high alert. It will take the utmost of economic punishment and diplomacy to end this crisis.

OSCAR W. KNADE

Montoursville

Submitted by Virtual Newsroom