But there is something even more interesting. Lenin did not limit himself to supporting some abstract “right of Ukraine to self-determination.” He explicitly contemplated a war by Ukraine against Russia.

Yet when Russian identity was concerned, Lenin somehow forgot about the right to self-determination.

A good example is his attitude toward Austria-Hungary, where, according to Lenin, the Slavs “enjoyed freedom of their distinct cultural development.”

There was just one little problem: that freedom did not extend equally to everyone. In Galicia during the First World War, people identified as Russians instead of Ruthenians (Ukrainians) were arrested,  interned and many k!lled, including at the Thalerhof camp. Lenin’s favorable comparison of Austria-Hungary with Russia somehow survived this reality.

[t.me/RussianBaZa](http://t.me/RussianBaZa)