UKRAINE

It's important to learn about the past so that you are never tricked in the future. I think you underestimate the strength of even the most preposterous propaganda. Many Russians do believe those lies. And not just Russians... One of my acquaintances tried to present me with excuses for Russia's actions. Let's just say he's not my acquaintance anymore.

And users here may mostly be siding with Ukraine, but seeing how many people on the Internet take up even the most stupid whataboutism arguments of "bUt UsA InVaDeD CoUnTrIeS ToO", I'm pretty sure there are some symmetrists if not downright Russian allies here (even if unregistered users who stumbled on this thread).

inb4: Defending Russia's invasion is pretty much like defending Germany's attack on Poland back in 1939. There are many ambiguous conflicts. This is not one of them.

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San Franciscan lesbian dwarves and their tomato orgies.

How would that happen?

Maybe, but whoever would think that Assad in Syria is still alive & kicking? How that guy hasn’t been taken out by now is beyond my comprehension for what he’s done.

Hasn’t worked for Assad in Syria & that guy has destroyed his own country.

As I read the news, is it fair to say that the Russian people are appalled by what is going on? Or wishful thinking on my part or somewhere in between?

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

I am not technically Russian in any meaningful sense, so I can’t say, but all of the friends/acquaintances my mother has heard from are offering a version of “You go, Vlad, **** NATO, that’s the real aggressor.” And no, they are not some deluded elite. I think many, if not the majority, are “appalled” by the violence and whatnot, but still think his broad course of action is correct, if unpleasant. That’s the sentiment I’ve heard from a great many people from all walks of life (I tried to politely argue in terms of the absurdity of NATO being a threat etc, but quickly got a migraine), but, of course, as someone who works in the media, that’s not something anyone’ll put in any respectable “western” papers.

Anyone who has even a half understanding of Russia's history would know that a good portion of the population is happy under Putin, as messed up as that might be. The older generation lived through record levels of poverty and inflation, and witnessed unchecked corruption at all levels of government. The idea that most of the nation is against this invasion is a distortion of the facts. Government control of the media, and a highly curated image of Putin that has been established over the past two decades, is letting a majority of Russians "go along" with the mess in Ukraine. And now, with ISPs being shut off, the level of isolation is only going to reinforce the echo chamber that is Russian state media. There's a reason you are only seeing the young and ex-pats denounce the invasion in Western media; they haven't been isolated in an echo chamber. The purges of yesteryears, the collectivization of the farming industry, and the political reforms instituted by the Duma are not apart of the curated image of modern Russia.

You repeat a lie enough times, in enough ways, and people will begin to believe it. No matter how farfetched the lie might actually be.

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"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza

I don’t think anyone was actually saying this. But, good post from you.

That was a comment in regards to the overwhelming news I have read/seen. It’s a general comment. Not directed at anyone in here, but it is a narrative being pushed by western media.

Exactly. This is what people overwhelmingly want to think, and it’s good to set that straight.

But Assad isn't threatening a nuclear strike and has little chance of waging world war, thus the west isn't concerned with him. In fact the situation in Syria can be termed an internal affair. A bad situation yes, but not like Ukraine. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is akin to the U.S. invading Canada and annexing the English speaking regions of that country. There's no justification for one country to gobble up it's neighbors. Never let a bully get away with it.

Not explaining myself well today. I’m just amazed nobody has taken a pot shot at Assad. Is the guy so well-guarded & invulnerable? He’s wreaked havoc on Syria. Is it just me who’s amazed he’s still alive?

It’s too depressing to look at how many good people have been assassinated: JFK, RFK, MLK to name just 3.

I don’t wish death on anyone, but surely the world would be better off without Putin?

I don’t disagree. Putin’s gang and the Wagner Group, among others, have been hard at work protecting Assad, hence he’s alive. Plain and simple. No, this is not a conspiracy theory.

What is the Wagner Group? I don’t recall hearing this term before.

Ahem. Don’t want to offer any particular phrasing here as that determines interpretation. But yes, it 100 per cent exists, just in case.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_Group

They're a Russian paramilitary organization - a bunch of neo-Nazis at Putin's disposal. He uses them to do the dirty work. Now they've been tasked with killing Volodymyr Zelenskyy (the president of Ukraine) who happens to be a Jew. Yes, Putin asked neo-Nazis to kill a Jew WHILE accusing Ukrainians of being neo-Nazis.

Agreed, that is by far the most mental part that I’ve enjoyed explaining to people. They are literally named after the favourite Nazi composer Wagner.

Yeah, sometimes I feel like all of this is just some surrealist comedy directed by Luis Bunuel.

Putin threatens the world with atomic weapons and then says it's NATO that escalates the conflict in this direction.

Putin starts a full-on invasion on a sovereign country but calls it a military operation and not war.

Putin claims he doesn't want so many NATO countries to have a common border with Russia and yet tries to conquer Ukraine, in which case he'd gain more borders with NATO countries. (Assuming he wants to go the annexation way and not the puppet government way, but it's still funny)

Hey, maybe we should copy Putin's approach:

Sorry, but these are not sanctions. They're a special economic operation supposed to denazify and demilitarize Russia.

Thing is, I think that’s relatively factual too… all depends on the POV.

Yippee ki yay, mother Russia

Welcome to my world I never seem to explain things right...You're fine btw.

It makes one think our CIA isn't really as effective as conspiracist seem to think they are.

it all just boils down to the marching footsteps outside your door, and the world never recovered from the 20th century. I personally don't think ideology can justify anything, but there are the possible trillions who disagree with me. It makes sense that so many internet users just want to explain away the things that others do.

Yes, i live a country that has been messing with people's heads globally for a long time. A lot of people are blind to the aweful things that Russia and China do, i say no thanks to any of the various fa*cist/co*munist regimes and any violence that goes beyond some sort of animalistic vengeance. I don't like Putin, Russia, the United States, or China but there are undoutably some great people who live in all these places and i don't want to kill them. I would probably feel the same about Ukraine given some study and effort...Putin certainly isn't making my life any better with his wierd choices.


(i still don't even know what i meant by that bolded part...it's too vague to really be useful to anyone, it sounds powerful which is why i liked it)


I hear the storm coming...it's pretty relaxing. Don't fu*k with cats. All conflicts are ambiguous until you have a stake in the matter: this is war. I will do anything to survive and there's nothing wrong with that.

Agreed.