If you have been paying any attention at all to local, national, or international news networks over the past couple of weeks, you might have noticed the escalating situation over in the Ukraine. Or maybe you have not, because you have been living under a rock. I’m not going to judge. So, for those of us who may not know so much about the conflict, let me give you a very brief overview of what is going on.

Back in January, the Ukraine decided to not join the European Union, preferring to keep closer economic ties with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Now, the country was (and is still) split on this decision; the western half preferred joining the European Union, while the eastern half preferred to have closer economic ties with Russia. This led to widespread protests, especially in Kiev, the Ukraine’s capital. As protests escalated, many protesters called for the resignation of Ukraine’s leader, Viktor Yanukovych. With protests escalating, Yanukovych called in more Berkut, elite Ukrainian riot police. According to BBC, as the protests started to escalate, Yanukovych brought in more of these Berkut from eastern Ukraine, who were already pro-Yanukovych and pro-Russia. Eventually, these Berkut started to kill people, with AK-47’s and sniper rifles. As you can imagine, the people rioted, even going so far as to hunt down snipers picking them off. Some even obtained weapons of their own.

Now, let me say why I am so upset with these Berkut. For starters, it must take a whole ton of courage to shoot innocent protesters. I’m looking at you, Berkut snipers. Killing innocent people from hundreds of yards away will not encourage the protesters to join your side, and you are not going to kill all of them. No. Instead, you just made martyrs out of them and gave their families and friends grief and heartache. And to whoever gave the order to shoot these innocent people, I hope the names of those you ordered dead are burned into your memory, although I highly doubt that you care.

And to Yankuovych, the biggest coward in this debacle, may I perhaps recommend a crash course in riot control? Whether you gave the order to shoot people or not, I cannot say. But if you did not, then maybe you should hire people that will not turn a protest into a revolt. And if you did, then what were you thinking? People demand you resign, so you butcher them, then you act surprised when they start to shoot back? And like the coward Yankuovych is, he pleaded to Russia for protection. Now Russia, according to BBC, is giving him that protection, and they are getting involved in the Crimea region of the Ukraine. Ethnically pro-Russian, the Crimea could provide even more fuel to the hazardous political landscape in the Ukraine. Even though I have my own opinions on the latest developments in the Crimean region, I think that is best left for a future article. And while Yanukovych may have escaped the wrath of those he hurt, I hope that in the back of his mind, he remembers those who are being mourned in Kiev with teary eyes and bouquets of roses. The same goes for the cowards who shot them.