JIM McAdams (Letters, November 8) suggests that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is not about territorial expansion but rather the protection of Russian-speaking populations. I beg to disagree. The true reason for the invasion relates to furthering Russian economic interests. This includes seizing the largest mineral deposit in Europe, the Donbas, and capturing coastal regions to simplify trade routes with Eastern countries and Europe, and expanding the Russian navy.

It is true that the Russian language is dominant in Ukraine but, throughout the 20th century and especially during the Soviet period, there was an active policy of Russification in Ukraine. The Ukrainian language was pushed out of public life, and Russian became the language of education, culture, and business everywhere. The education system and government bodies actively used Russian, which further promoted its spread among the local population. In addition in the 1920s and 1930s, when the Donbas became a key industrial region, numerous workers from Russia were resettled in cities where heavy industry was developing However dominance of the Russian language within the population by no means implies allegiance to Russia.

During the Great Terror and the Holodomor of 1932-1933, there was a systematic repression of the Ukrainian intelligentsia, with many language activists being silenced or eliminated. Since then, Russian has become dominant in all areas from education and science to culture and media. In my opinion, the Ukrainian language needs protection and restoration.

Mr McAdams mentioned that Russia no longer shows imperial tendencies towards other countries. I would like to disagree and present a list of major conflicts initiated by Russia over the last 30 years: Russia’s involvement in the Transnistria conflict (1991); the Second Chechen War (1999-2009); the Georgia conflict, including the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia (2008); the annexation of Crimea (2014) and the beginning of the war in Eastern Ukraine (2014). The recent attempts to influence the recent poll about EU relations in Moldova (2024) suggests further imperial tendencies.

This recent evidence proves that Russia remains interested in the colonisation of republics, systematically erasing any expressions of national identity, with language and culture being among the most important elements. This continues to this day.

In conclusion I would like to remind your correspondent that the war in Ukraine continues, and Russia is daily killing hundreds of both Ukranian and Russian-speaking civilians, not only in the major conflict zones but across the entire territory of Ukraine including Lviv, Kiev and Kharkhiv.

I urge your correspondent to seek information from various sources and to apply a little critical thinking.

Olha Redchuk, Coupar Angus.

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Some balance on nationalism

IN common with all those who oppose the restoration of Scotland's independence, Andy Maciver misses no opportunity to associate nationalism with nastiness (“As nationalism takes hold in many countries, remember the genocide it brought to Bosnia", The Herald, November 8) Any examination of historical events reveals that it has been the suppression of national identities that has been the driver of cult excesses, world wars and contemporary international friction.

The ruthless suppression by the Habsburgs of Serbian independence led to the First World War, not Serbian nationalism. All dictators detest subject nations wanting independence. I doubt if Hitler offered much support for the independence movements in Belgium, Holland, France, Norway, Denmark, Greece or anywhere else in occupied Europe. Similarly, the Ancient Romans viciously quashed independence movements.

Despite relentless determined efforts to discredit nationalism, the details of history suggest the need for a more balanced interpretation.

Peter Dryburgh, Edinburgh.

Be grateful for Trump

IT was French President Charles De Gaulle who realised that unpredictability of action gave him power. Much later, the partnership between US President Richard Nixon and diplomat Henry Kissinger used that technique to good effect, with Kissinger persuading world leaders that an erratic Nixon was capable of pressing the nuclear button. This quickly yielded good relations with China and Russia.

The new US President will thus benefit from his own natural style, as well as his excellent negotiating skills.

In a troubled world, where some need to know that there could be consequences for bad behaviour, we should be grateful for his re-election.

Malcolm Parkin, Kinross.

The teaching of Scottish history

I WOULD like to respond to two issues raised by Michael Sheridan in his letter (November 5). He makes the extraordinary claim that "the availability of private education is an essential underpinning of democratic freedom". I think that the reality is that any dictator would close down private schools pretty quickly if their curriculum was not in step with party thinking. The fact remains that parents are paying for a private education for their children to give them an advantage over state-school-educated pupils. This advantage will be carried into higher education and of course into employment opportunities. Putting it bluntly, it is a continuation of the force of privilege and influence that still blights this country.

He then makes the extraordinary claim that "the Government", by which I assume he means the SNP Government, has deliberately massaged the school curriculum to give it a political advantage. I am not quite sure what he means by "teaching apocryphal history" but I’m sure that it is not complimentary. The fact is that Scottish school pupils now know far more about the history of their own country than I did. Apart from brief passing references about the usual suspects Bruce, Mary, Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie, I was taught nothing at school here in Edinburgh about Scottish history. What little I did know came from books in the family home.

Things were really no better at Edinburgh University where I studied British History Honours 1 and 2. It may as well have been entitled English History Honours 1 and 2. We only had one lecture a term from the Professor of Scottish History, Gordon Donaldson. When he appeared in the lecture theatre many of the class walked out or did not turn up for the lecture as they were English and had no interest in Scottish history. I started out as a qualified secondary history teacher knowing next to nothing about the history of my own country.

Thankfully things have improved considerably since then. There is so much more academic work being undertaken into Scottish history. A visit to any bookshop will show the numbers of books now being published on aspects of Scottish history.

One of the main drivers for change was the introduction in the 1970s of a Scottish topic into the O-Grade curriculum. This was "Changing Life in Scotland 1760-1820". I learnt that Scotland had experienced its own Agricultural Revolution, an Industrial Revolution and a Transport Revolution. The Glasgow Tobacco Lords had benefited from the Act of Union about which I had been totally ignorant. We learnt something of the achievements of James Watt, Robert Owen and Thomas Telford. Edinburgh had experienced a Golden Age through the genius of such characters as David Hume, Adam Smith, Joseph Black and James Hutton. There were also references to the contributions of Robert Fergusson, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. A New Town had been built in the capital, the finest surviving example of Georgian town planning in the UK. For me and many of my generation, Scottish history had come out of the shadows.

I certainly would not describe this as "apocryphal history".

Eric Melvin, Edinburgh.

Donald Trump with wife Melania at his election night partyDonald Trump with wife Melania at his election night party (Image: PA)

Is this a puppet show?

THERE is a school of thought that would have you believe that Westminster is a puppet-show designed to give the appearance of democracy while it is actually controlled by the Establishment.

We live in a country where the average wage is £28k and the state pension £8.8k per annum. When one looks at the leaders of the Labour Party, the party that was created by the workers to foster the interests of the common man and is currently in office, the disparity between the personal financial status of MPs and the people they are supposed to represent could not be starker. For example, the combined annual income of Rachel Reeves and her husband is some £300k per year, they have a rental income of £74k, yet she still finds it acceptable to accept £7k worth of clothes from donors. Multimillionaire Keir Starmer never seems to put his hand in his pocket when he has a night out or a holiday break. Yet these are the people who will let pensioners freeze and tell us we need to “pull in our belts” but the good times are just around the corner.

I don’t know about you, but when it’s almost impossible to differentiate between the policies of both the major parties and the lookalike career politicians singing the same tune scripted by some off-stage anonymous choirmaster, I’m having second thoughts about the puppet-show theory.

David J Crawford, Glasgow.