This seems the crux of the matter. When the war broke out and the threads started their daily appearance, usually involving YouTube videos and Twitter stuff, there was an attempt by the "moral high ground" types to argue a number of different things.
1) Invasion proves guilt. Were this true, then these last decades involving Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond would be under the same logical umbrella.
2) War means Russia will conquer Europe. Were this true, the next stance would have been laughable.
3) War as it progresses proves Russia cannot conquer Ukraine.
Then when some would argue, "not my war," the pro-Ukraine threads would baptize those as Russians with the likes of Ruzzian, and, as Mr. Robinson observed, "do not accuse them of being a 'Putinista', 'commrade', 'murderer', 'baby-killer', etc, just because he may have a difference of opinion whether or not the US government should be involved in a controversial foreign war where we were not attacked."
Some have trotted out polls showing Ukraine "less corrupt" than Russia, though the polls thereby call both corrupt. No matter, as the claim of a "moral high ground" became comparative moral LOW ground for both.
A war continues between two non-NATO nations, brutal and with death and destruction for both sides. The war is ostensibly between Ukraine and Russia.
EXCEPT for the billions and billions being allocated for war based on some "moral high ground" and to "officially" not conduct an official war with Russia, with sanctions and such. Said sanctions are seeming now to wear as hard on European nations as on Russia, so perhaps the "proxy" isn't proving as a "moral high ground" as those arguing a "moral high ground" demonstrate.
If one in not a cheerleader for Ukraine or Russia, these "moral high ground" types assign such to being "pro-Putin," as by those rules there can only be two sides, even though the world is rapidly turning multi-polar.
A couple of decades of war all around the world, and our national debt has risen by as much as $30 trillion MORE than when the whole of this new century began.
What is certain is one unavoidable piece to the puzzle, and it is the frame in which all is taking place:
Debt ClockFederal Budget Deficit Grew to $2 Trillion in FY 2023 Tax Foundation, 12 October 2023
Nice post traveler.
The escalation to full-scale war seems to have been Putin’s fault.
Russia had gripes 26 months ago. It now has ~200,000 dead Russians (and ~150,000 dead Ukrainian ‘brothers’), a war to fight and the highly active animosity of most Ukrainians.
LOL, sure like in WW2, "When the war broke out" and not nazi Germany invaded Poland. Putin invading Ukraine for territorial conquest and annexation wasn't the start of the war, it just "broke out". Amazing
Well said, Traveler, Kudos.