Hitchens is not part of the anti-Russia crusade and he constantly wonders what the real reason behind all the animus is.........
Yeah because its easy to sympathize with Putin when you are an elite Westerner with all your plush protections and living standards. Not forced to become a mercenary in Syria to make ends meet for your wife and kids because the grotesquely kleptocratic economy leaves you no other employment prospects!
Try living in Russia and immerse yourself in Russian life as I have - and see how where you stand from there. The problem is Russian people (especially middle aged to older generations) are so traumatized from their past that they don’t want to rock the boat because in their view: things could always be worse.
But vast majority sick of Syria debacle.
And dead Russian mercenaries aren’t even given the dignity of military funerals.