Brian Elliott commented
2023-02-23 01:30:01 -0500
You really don’t understand what’s going on in Ukraine at all. This isn’t “because of NATO expansion” or genuine russian security concerns. russian propaganda throws everything from “Ukrainian Nazis” to “NATO expansion” to “US Biolabs” to “they dombed Bombas” (yes, they spell it wrong so frequently it’s laughable) to even dumber things like “Combat Mosquitoes”. Their real intention has been made quite clear time and time again by Putin’s words and russian actions. Putin (and many russians) do not view Ukraine as a real country. They believe they have the right to own Ukrainians, destroy Ukrainian culture, and have a “little russia” as they call it.
If you speak to any Ukrainian, you will fully understand this. The fact that you’re using so many russian talking points and demanding that Ukraine compromise – that there are referendums on Donbas (Donbas IS Ukraine), want Ukraine to be a neutral zone (fun fact, they’ll get invaded again if such a proposal is made, look at Georgia and Chechnya as exhibit one).
I have spent hours and hours talking to friends from occupied Kherson, Dnipro, Odesa, Kyiv, and other cities. Life under russian occupation is hell on earth. Life being shelled BY RUSSIA (Not NATO) is terrifying. I want peace more than anyone – but bowing to russian demands for Donbas – and then letting them off the hook too early with sanctions – would almost guarantee another “special military operation” in a few years.
NATO and the United Nations doing very little of substance when russia ILLEGALLY ANNEXED Crimea and invaded Donbas in 2014 paved the way for this invasion. There can be no mistake, if russia is allowed to return to “business as usual” without suffering the same sort of consequences that Nazi Germany suffered after World War 2 – you’re just setting up the world for more endless wars waged by russia.