Having been invaded more than once (Napolean and Hitler), the Russian people can’t be faulted for a lack of trust when it comes to European armies amassing interests on its border. To be fair, Russia (The Soviet version) spent the better part of the last century invading European countries. They deposed democratically elected presidents. They locked these nations down and stripped them of resources. The 20th Century wasn’t pretty. Everyone has a grudge to bear. Things were done. And while Russia invaded Ukraine, the assumption – the messaging – continues to be that it was unprovoked. Was it?
The US undermined a democratically elected Ukrainian president in 2014. The CIA was operating “bases” inside Ukraine (New York Times). That means merican military and intelligence services were on the ground. High-ranking US officials, up to and including Joe Biden, continue to push for Ukraine’s entry into NATO when Putin has asked that not happen. An early peace deal between Volyynsky and Putin was scuppered by the West.
It is obvious to anyone capable of standing outside the ring that America and the West want war. Feel free to decide for yourselves why, but the prevailing mood in this audience is that the Blob and the American war Machine are using it to keep them in big houses drinking fine wine. There’s no other reason to be there. Some in Eastern Ukraine would be happy to be part of Russia, and while Russia has a bad reputation, before yelling Putin apologist, take a naked view of American aggression in the past few decades (maybe longer) and ask yourself if we are any better or worse. I didn’t see it for a long time. I do now. Pretending it might not be true isn’t patriotic or pro-American.
The sad reality is that a lot of people are dying over there, and the people helping them kill each other are over here spending your money on the weapons and munitions getting that job done. All on the premise that Russia wants to be Soviet again. That it can’t move on – when it appears that we can’t move on.
I don’t think they want to go back there. I’m not sure they could. As a stark contrast, looking at where we are, why is the American ruling class working so hard to make us more like Soviet-era Russia – and is the war in Ukraine just one of several distractions that keep us from noticing (aside from the obvious laundromat and the idea that it might cure a few cases of ED among the Joint Chiefs)?
I’ll finish up with this from a reader.
I recall learning that one of the first things that Putin did was re-Christianize the nation..
I have gotten the clear impression that Putin doesn’t hate his own people..
We certainly can’t say that about anyone running our nation in a damned long time- aside from Trump.
Your thoughts, please.