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Putin's Attack on Ukraine Is an Attempt to Delay His Own Inevitable Demise
Time ^ | 2.25.2022 | Peter Pomerantsev

Posted on 02/28/2022 9:48:52 PM PST by libh8er

Putin fears death—like any 69-year-old. His fear, however, is particularly acute. He makes (or so the consistent rumour goes) visiting officials submit faeces test to ensure they are disease free. Since COVID-19, officials have to isolate several days before they see him. Those who don’t, like the visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, are seated down the other end of an absurdly long table. Is Putin immune-compromised? Maybe. He’s clearly petrified and paranoid of death. His extreme botox treatments, which gives his skin the look of melting wax, are yet another desire to turn back the clock.

Unlike the rest of us, he can project his fears onto whole countries. In his embarrassing ramblings about Ukraine he never talks about the future—he wants to escape the future and what it brings. He “justifies” his invasion through the desire to return the past: take Ukraine back to the 19th century, to the Soviet Union, to his youth. He rambles menacingly about restoring the glories of the Russian Empire, picking apart Lenin’s creation of Soviet Republics, undoing the revolution against his satrap Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. One plausible rumour about Putin’s invasion plan is he wants to cancel all Ukrainian laws passed since the revolution of 2014. A wilder, but symbolic one is that he will try to put Yanukovych back in power: as if the last seven years never happened. As if he’s still 62.

(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: peterpomerantsev; putin; surejan; surepeter; ukraine
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1 posted on 02/28/2022 9:48:52 PM PST by libh8er
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To: libh8er
Seems to be going around


2 posted on 02/28/2022 9:53:32 PM PST by BenLurkin ((The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.))
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To: libh8er

He rambles menacingly about restoring the glories of the Russian Empire,,,,,,

Yes. putin reminds me of hitler philosophizing on “lebensraum.”

Unfortunately, many innocents will die before this sick bastard goes to hell.


3 posted on 02/28/2022 9:54:12 PM PST by Ceebass (USA RIP 1776-2021)
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To: libh8er

Russia as a whole has been suffering from historical amnesia for quite some time. I recommend watching the movie Shutter Island.

It’s when the past is too horrifying to face so you end up creating a method where you yourself are the hero.

Instead of healing from the collapse of the USSR, the mass atrocities committed and ordinary people themselves facilitated, etc…Russians clung to nostalgia of having been a “great power” — and “saving the world from fascism” during WWII etc…


4 posted on 02/28/2022 10:00:06 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: libh8er

Putin’s not some outlier - he is merely Russia’s latest Tsar, just like the Red Tsars who ruled it for most of the 20th century. Russia’s Tsars are modeled on the Roman emperors of old. To up your prominence in the hierarchy of Russian rulers, you need to acquire land. Putin’s recent land grabs are all in service of this goal.


5 posted on 02/28/2022 10:00:13 PM PST by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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To: libh8er

A myThos* not method.


6 posted on 02/28/2022 10:00:37 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: libh8er

Time, much like CNN, is a mouth-piece for the hard-left.

Why anyone on FreeRepublic takes what they have to say, without a hefty dose of skepticism is beyond me.


7 posted on 02/28/2022 10:01:56 PM PST by SoConPubbie (Mitt and Obama: They're the same poison, just a different potency)
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To: libh8er

We are all Ukrainians now.


8 posted on 02/28/2022 10:03:06 PM PST by McGruff (A Lie Can Travel Halfway Around the World Before the Truth Puts On its Shoes.)
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To: Zhang Fei
His extreme botox treatments, which gives his skin the look of melting wax, are yet another desire to turn back the clock.


9 posted on 02/28/2022 10:04:13 PM PST by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2)
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To: Zhang Fei

Yup

The tsars biggest acheivements were keeping the lands won, together under control, and making the country bigger

the red tsars have been no different


10 posted on 02/28/2022 10:07:15 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

[Russia as a whole has been suffering from historical amnesia for quite some time. I recommend watching the movie Shutter Island.

It’s when the past is too horrifying to face so you end up creating a method where you yourself are the hero.

Instead of healing from the collapse of the USSR, the mass atrocities committed and ordinary people themselves facilitated, etc…Russians clung to nostalgia of having been a “great power” — and “saving the world from fascism” during WWII etc…]


I’m skeptical that a headshrinker is necessary to explain Putin’s actions. He’s just a run-of-the-mill Russian ruler. The way to make yourself a bigger deal in that august group is to acquire land. People come up with all these epithets about empire-builders, but this impulse has been around since the first village chief attacked his neighbor. WWII kiboshed it in the West and maybe Japan, but I’m not sure that countries outside of this circle wouldn’t take their nations on armed regional tours if not for Uncle Sam’s stabilizing influence.


11 posted on 02/28/2022 10:07:15 PM PST by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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To: Zhang Fei

Ahh, Uncle Sam is not in the White House. Uncle Joe the happy delusional wanderer is. With no cops on the street. Criminals are going to criminal.


12 posted on 02/28/2022 10:14:19 PM PST by Equine1952
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To: Secret Agent Man

[Yup

The tsars biggest acheivements were keeping the lands won, together under control, and making the country bigger

the red tsars have been no different]


If the Bolsheviks hadn’t expressed a wish to take over the world, it’s not clear anyone outside of Russia would care what they did in Russia. The issue is that they were just as expansionistic as their Romanov predecessors. The problem with Putin today is that he is no different from the Bolsheviks in his territorial ambitions.


13 posted on 02/28/2022 10:14:20 PM PST by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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To: libh8er

I heard he tears the wings off flies and has a crazy look in his eye 🤪


14 posted on 02/28/2022 10:15:38 PM PST by NWFree (Somebody has to say it)
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To: SoConPubbie

Agree


15 posted on 02/28/2022 10:35:52 PM PST by antceecee
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To: Zhang Fei
People come up with all these epithets about empire-builders, but this impulse has been around since the first village chief attacked his neighbor.

In America we called it Manifest Destiny.

16 posted on 02/28/2022 10:39:32 PM PST by Angelino97
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To: Angelino97

[In America we called it Manifest Destiny.]


Unification is the usual word. Why wouldn’t anyone want to be unified?


17 posted on 02/28/2022 10:49:42 PM PST by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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To: McGruff; All

We are all Ukrainians now.


I hate it when people do this.

Speak for yourself. I’m not a Ukrainian and never have been. This is between Russia and the Ukraine.

Neither ever worried about my past or current problems, and I’m not concerned with theirs.


18 posted on 02/28/2022 10:54:35 PM PST by sumuam
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To: Ceebass; CondoleezzaProtege

One of the many differences between Hitler and Putin is that the Russian people do NOT dream of lebensraum and definitely not against a “brother East Slavic” Ukraine.

I hope for Russia’s sake that he goes soon


19 posted on 02/28/2022 11:22:09 PM PST by Cronos ( One cannot desire freedom from the Cross, especially when one is especially chosen for the cross)
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To: libh8er

Putin has good reason to fear death. Satan is waiting for his new chew toy.


20 posted on 03/01/2022 12:51:14 AM PST by Mr. Rabbit
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