What about NATO and hiding its troops? I haven’t seen much of anything indicating that. Not that I know much of anything, if anything at all. But from my (very) limited perspective, I don’t think Putin has any interest at all in any country other than Ukraine, and it looks as though he is achieving his objects. Did you see the Telegram channel I posted some of today? I can’t copy photos of see videos as I am not a member, but the info on there is pretty interesting. Ukrainian military seems no match for Russian, and the Uk mil (not sure if “regular” or the neo nazi battalions) are doing damage to their own infrastructure, preventing citizens from evacuation, and firing on RU positions from cilivian areas. And if the info below is correct, Zelensky went to the US embassy in Poland. I am sure the NATO sonsabeeyotches know exactly what has been going on in Ukraine and who knows how many had their fingers in the pie so to speak.
One German NATO guy said (read yesterday) that they won’t allow Ukraine into NATO.
I must drag myself away from my computer.
My last bit, he’s leaving out a lot but points are good.
No part of me supports what is happening in Ukraine.
There’s one aspect that I feel people don’t understand:
For Americans WWII led to the Greatest Generation. For us Brits we had spitfires and The Blitz Spirit. Russians had none of that and no fond memories. All they experienced was an invading force who came not for tactical victories and negotiations; but the utter and total elimination of every Russian man woman and child. The complete and utter elimination of their entire culture was at stake. The scars of that conflict run so deep that it resonates profoundly to this day. Every city, town and village has a memorial of that incomprehensibly nightmarish conflict and the pain is still very real. It is ingrained in the Russian psyche.
For decades Russia has first asked, then pleaded, then cautioned, then threatened against NATO expansion because they have bad associations with organised European armies massed at their borders. NATO are touted as a defensive force but Libya and Afghanistan would beg to differ.
Ukraine has never been culturally associated with The West.
People think NATO expansion is just a technicality that Putin is using to enact his own expansionist agenda. But it is more than just a technicality. And it’s not just about Putin. Every Russian I’ve spoken to is angry and frustrated by NATO and Europe. They do not want a unified and incredibly well funded pan European and American army massed on their borders. A non NATO buffer zone isn’t just some legal jargon but a very real comfort.
Russia had a friendly leader in Ukraine. Sure, Yanukovich was as incompetent as he was corrupt, or vice versa. But at least to them he was pro Russia. Seeing their democratically elected leader ousted by a mob angered Russians and pro-Russian Ukrainians.
But this latest attempt to join NATO proved to be the last straw: after those decades of requests and threats that amounted to nothing, Russia has finally acted on the threat that has been loudly and unambiguously trumpeted for years.
EDIT: this is not my justification nor am I an apologist. I am merely sharing a perspective that I feel many people simply have not considered