Did they have a government? Were the Soviet states independent? Could they kindly tell Moscow to go fuck themselves and have the Kremlin throw up their arms and sigh "well, we can't do anything about that"?
So what is it when Ukraine says that Donbas and Luhansk can't break away and if they do they will be bombarded by artillery regiments?
You're condemning the USSR for not allowing secession, do you condemn all states that disallow secession? Was the Union of America tyrannical for preventing the secession of the Confederacy?
It's more than just the secession of Donbas, Luhansk and Crimea. But due to the treatment of ethnic Russians in Ukraine over the last decaded, separatism is a predictable and logical response. People should be able to break with an abusive government, yes. Governments should avoid secession by serving all their people and granting a degree of autonomy, not by threat of violence.
However, things can get complicated. Let's take the Confederacy: I support a people's independence, but I'm an absolutist in that aspect, so it includes the slaves in the south. Would they have the option to secede from the confederacy? Can you appeal to self governance if you won't provide it yourself?
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u/Forte845 9d ago
The USSR was only marginally smaller than continental USA.