On January 23 an Internet publication, Russky zhurnal (Russian Journal), came up with an article, “Ukraine in the System of International Relations.” The authors obviously expected that their mischief clothed as “sophisticated analysis” of “letting the whole world in on a big secret,” would become widely known to Ukrainian citizens (who have long since been aware that, as the journal puts it, “the greater part of Ukraine’s population consider themselves to be Russians”!). Well then, let us render this Russky zhurnal the small service of conducting a stylistic autopsy, incidentally recalling Peter I’s ill-received efforts to teach his subjects to speak precise and clear language, “so that everyone’s folly will become apparent.” To do so only one paragraph, which shows the authors’ basic approach to the publication of their material, will suffice. Thus, the basic idea of this expert analysis, an attempt to tell everything about Ukraine’s western oriented foreign policy, was expounded in a separate paragraph under three stars (although any real expert would opt for five): “With the current political situation in Ukraine the Russian Federation has every chance of changing Ukraine’s vector of international activity. Thus, it appears, the question is only whether Russian Foreign Ministry functionaries will make use of the opportunities presented them.” Now it should be quite clear who our true friends are, whose behavior determines “whether we are heading in the right or wrong direction, comrades,” all those functionaries at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now one and all must know (thanks to our Russian source) whom to complain to about our bad life, lack of hot water, rudeness on the bus, and above all about the imperial aspirations of those NATO hawks. Hence, do visit, dear friends, “excuse the clumsy term, Russian cultural people”, the Russky zhurnal website (that is what these experts call their page on the Internet). Visit and take wonder at what they are telling us from the most holy of all capitals. Wonder and remember, so as not to be shocked or amazed next time you hear something like this, but take wonder at the quality that separates those who are truly sagacious from those who are not.
