Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Foreign rulers who defy western imperialism and aggression are by and large made out by the west to be insane, mentally disturbed or crazy. The list is long.

No, I am neither a Putin sympathizer nor a Russian troll. Just an observer of history.

What western aggression did Vlad defy as he made his land grab in Ukraine?

You're obviously late to the game.

Every President since Reagan has advanced the push for NATO expansion towards Russia's borders. The US spent $5 billion in 2014 to install what is now the Zelensky puppet regime. See under: assistant US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's "f**k the EU."

After the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, NATO issued a statement that Ukraine and Georgia would become part of NATO. That has never been rescinded. At that time, Putin made it unequivocally clear that Russia viewed NATO is an existential threat.

And obviously Russia has the right to dictate other countries' defense policies to them and then invade them when they don't comply with Russian demands.

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Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. His people don't want what he's doing. His oligarchs can't possibly think this is a good idea. Why is he doing this-is he just an aging man trying to recreate the glory days of the past before it's all too late for him?

What's crazy about wanting more land and resources and doing it when you know no entity will do much to stop you?

This is like dealing with a child who has no rules or boundaries and no enforcement of them.

No consequences for Putin. Nothing but gain. Quite logical actually.

Sure it's unethical and immoral, but not "crazy."

He'll get what he wants annexed to Russia and mass media will tout Biden as a hero. Putin and CHina will be LTAO.

You all are nuts. He wants to stop NATO and the Western influence close to Russia. How hard is that to get?

At the cost of obliterating his entire economy completely and turning his country into Venezuela of the east?

Yes. Plus, Ukraine is very fertile. When have you met a dictator that is reasonable?

What does Ukraine being fertile have to do with it? I don't think it was to get more farmland Russia seems to have no shortage of already looking at the map. What Russia lacks isn't farmland, it's population, and Putin is doing a good job destroying this population and probably driving birth rates even lower.

Well, I don't know. I am just guessing and he has said so many times, not to let Ukraine be in NATO and be influenced by the West.

My toddler has also said many times that he wants to eat ice cream for dinner and not go to daycare. Doesn’t mean he’s getting it.

Well, if you can just go over there and be a mom to toddler Putin who has the Russian military and nukes at his disposal, the world would thank you!

"Why don't you just go over there" is not the winning argument you think it is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Foreign rulers who defy western imperialism and aggression are by and large made out by the west to be insane, mentally disturbed or crazy. The list is long.

No, I am neither a Putin sympathizer nor a Russian troll. Just an observer of history.

What western aggression did Vlad defy as he made his land grab in Ukraine?

You're obviously late to the game.

Every President since Reagan has advanced the push for NATO expansion towards Russia's borders. The US spent $5 billion in 2014 to install what is now the Zelensky puppet regime. See under: assistant US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's "f**k the EU."

After the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, NATO issued a statement that Ukraine and Georgia would become part of NATO. That has never been rescinded. At that time, Putin made it unequivocally clear that Russia viewed NATO is an existential threat.

NATO is a defensive alliance of countries who have begged to be part of it. You have a warped view of Western aggression. Putin does not get to dictate how other people in the world live, their vision for the future and who they align themselves with.

It would behoove Putin, China and any other macho authoritarian regimes to work on influencing others instead of trying to crush them in submission in a life they don't desire.

Exactly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Foreign rulers who defy western imperialism and aggression are by and large made out by the west to be insane, mentally disturbed or crazy. The list is long.

No, I am neither a Putin sympathizer nor a Russian troll. Just an observer of history.

What western aggression did Vlad defy as he made his land grab in Ukraine?

You're obviously late to the game.

Every President since Reagan has advanced the push for NATO expansion towards Russia's borders. The US spent $5 billion in 2014 to install what is now the Zelensky puppet regime. See under: assistant US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's "f**k the EU."

After the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, NATO issued a statement that Ukraine and Georgia would become part of NATO. That has never been rescinded. At that time, Putin made it unequivocally clear that Russia viewed NATO is an existential threat.

That's the position coming straight from the Kremlin. Your "facts" are bogus. 2014 had Poroshenko defeat Tymoshenko. Zelenskyy defeated Poroshenko in free and fair elections with 73% of the vote. Calling it a "coup" or "installed puppet" does not even remotely bear any resemblance to reality.

That position is completely, delusionally backwards. Russia is the only existential threat here. The US did not attack or seize any lands in Europe. They only used diplomacy. Russia proved they are hostile aggressors that cannot be trusted in 2008 with Georgia, and again in 2014 with Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk, and now again in 2022 with the rest of Ukraine. Maybe Putin wants to project his own paranoia onto NATO but ultimately he is the one who is the existential threat to his neighbors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Foreign rulers who defy western imperialism and aggression are by and large made out by the west to be insane, mentally disturbed or crazy. The list is long.

No, I am neither a Putin sympathizer nor a Russian troll. Just an observer of history.

What western aggression did Vlad defy as he made his land grab in Ukraine?

You're obviously late to the game.

Every President since Reagan has advanced the push for NATO expansion towards Russia's borders. The US spent $5 billion in 2014 to install what is now the Zelensky puppet regime. See under: assistant US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's "f**k the EU."

After the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, NATO issued a statement that Ukraine and Georgia would become part of NATO. That has never been rescinded. At that time, Putin made it unequivocally clear that Russia viewed NATO is an existential threat.

NATO is a defensive alliance of countries who have begged to be part of it. You have a warped view of Western aggression. Putin does not get to dictate how other people in the world live, their vision for the future and who they align themselves with.

It would behoove Putin, China and any other macho authoritarian regimes to work on influencing others instead of trying to crush them in submission in a life they don't desire.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone with more knowledge about Russian politics have any idea who might be waiting in the wings to claim power from Putin? It seems an ideal situation for a contender.

If you think there’s some moderate person waiting in the wings, you’re wrong. And autocrats don’t make succession plans.

Interesting assumptions— and, unfortunately, no useful information. The PP said nothing about “some moderate person waiting in the wings”. Why make up something — only to refute it as “wrong” ?

I agree with the PP: It does seem like an ideal situation for a contender. If there are knowledgeable people with suggestions about who those potential contenders might be — that would be interesting, and possibly even useful to know. While autocrats may not make succession plans, they often have rivals and favorites. There also might be multiple obvious successors — realistic or not, depending upon how things play out in the near future.

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Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. His people don't want what he's doing. His oligarchs can't possibly think this is a good idea. Why is he doing this-is he just an aging man trying to recreate the glory days of the past before it's all too late for him?

What's crazy about wanting more land and resources and doing it when you know no entity will do much to stop you?

This is like dealing with a child who has no rules or boundaries and no enforcement of them.

No consequences for Putin. Nothing but gain. Quite logical actually.

Sure it's unethical and immoral, but not "crazy."

He'll get what he wants annexed to Russia and mass media will tout Biden as a hero. Putin and CHina will be LTAO.

You all are nuts. He wants to stop NATO and the Western influence close to Russia. How hard is that to get?

At the cost of obliterating his entire economy completely and turning his country into Venezuela of the east?

Yes. Plus, Ukraine is very fertile. When have you met a dictator that is reasonable?

What does Ukraine being fertile have to do with it? I don't think it was to get more farmland Russia seems to have no shortage of already looking at the map. What Russia lacks isn't farmland, it's population, and Putin is doing a good job destroying this population and probably driving birth rates even lower.

Well, I don't know. I am just guessing and he has said so many times, not to let Ukraine be in NATO and be influenced by the West.

My toddler has also said many times that he wants to eat ice cream for dinner and not go to daycare. Doesn’t mean he’s getting it.

Well, if you can just go over there and be a mom to toddler Putin who has the Russian military and nukes at his disposal, the world would thank you!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Foreign rulers who defy western imperialism and aggression are by and large made out by the west to be insane, mentally disturbed or crazy. The list is long.

No, I am neither a Putin sympathizer nor a Russian troll. Just an observer of history.

What western aggression did Vlad defy as he made his land grab in Ukraine?

You're obviously late to the game.

Every President since Reagan has advanced the push for NATO expansion towards Russia's borders. The US spent $5 billion in 2014 to install what is now the Zelensky puppet regime. See under: assistant US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's "f**k the EU."

After the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, NATO issued a statement that Ukraine and Georgia would become part of NATO. That has never been rescinded. At that time, Putin made it unequivocally clear that Russia viewed NATO is an existential threat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. His people don't want what he's doing. His oligarchs can't possibly think this is a good idea. Why is he doing this-is he just an aging man trying to recreate the glory days of the past before it's all too late for him?

What's crazy about wanting more land and resources and doing it when you know no entity will do much to stop you?

This is like dealing with a child who has no rules or boundaries and no enforcement of them.

No consequences for Putin. Nothing but gain. Quite logical actually.

Sure it's unethical and immoral, but not "crazy."

He'll get what he wants annexed to Russia and mass media will tout Biden as a hero. Putin and CHina will be LTAO.

You all are nuts. He wants to stop NATO and the Western influence close to Russia. How hard is that to get?

At the cost of obliterating his entire economy completely and turning his country into Venezuela of the east?

Yes. Plus, Ukraine is very fertile. When have you met a dictator that is reasonable?

What does Ukraine being fertile have to do with it? I don't think it was to get more farmland Russia seems to have no shortage of already looking at the map. What Russia lacks isn't farmland, it's population, and Putin is doing a good job destroying this population and probably driving birth rates even lower.

Well, I don't know. I am just guessing and he has said so many times, not to let Ukraine be in NATO and be influenced by the West.

My toddler has also said many times that he wants to eat ice cream for dinner and not go to daycare. Doesn’t mean he’s getting it.

Anonymous wrote:Foreign rulers who defy western imperialism and aggression are by and large made out by the west to be insane, mentally disturbed or crazy. The list is long.

No, I am neither a Putin sympathizer nor a Russian troll. Just an observer of history.

AND it’s ALSO quite possible that at least some of them might be “insane, mentally disturbed or crazy” and/or impacted by isolation or debilitating health issues. So it’s certainly worth raising questions about the mental status and stability of someone—and, I’d argue, of anyone in a powerful decision-making capacity.

Many of us have been equally—or even more — concerned about Donald Trump and even Don Jr 🧂, and what their quite obvious issues might mean for the rest of us, not to mention the issues that might be less readily apparent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. His people don't want what he's doing. His oligarchs can't possibly think this is a good idea. Why is he doing this-is he just an aging man trying to recreate the glory days of the past before it's all too late for him?

What's crazy about wanting more land and resources and doing it when you know no entity will do much to stop you?

This is like dealing with a child who has no rules or boundaries and no enforcement of them.

No consequences for Putin. Nothing but gain. Quite logical actually.

Sure it's unethical and immoral, but not "crazy."

He'll get what he wants annexed to Russia and mass media will tout Biden as a hero. Putin and CHina will be LTAO.

You all are nuts. He wants to stop NATO and the Western influence close to Russia. How hard is that to get?

At the cost of obliterating his entire economy completely and turning his country into Venezuela of the east?

Yes. Plus, Ukraine is very fertile. When have you met a dictator that is reasonable?

What does Ukraine being fertile have to do with it? I don't think it was to get more farmland Russia seems to have no shortage of already looking at the map. What Russia lacks isn't farmland, it's population, and Putin is doing a good job destroying this population and probably driving birth rates even lower.

Well, I don't know. I am just guessing and he has said so many times, not to let Ukraine be in NATO and be influenced by the West.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. His people don't want what he's doing. His oligarchs can't possibly think this is a good idea. Why is he doing this-is he just an aging man trying to recreate the glory days of the past before it's all too late for him?

What's crazy about wanting more land and resources and doing it when you know no entity will do much to stop you?

This is like dealing with a child who has no rules or boundaries and no enforcement of them.

No consequences for Putin. Nothing but gain. Quite logical actually.

Sure it's unethical and immoral, but not "crazy."

He'll get what he wants annexed to Russia and mass media will tout Biden as a hero. Putin and CHina will be LTAO.

You all are nuts. He wants to stop NATO and the Western influence close to Russia. How hard is that to get?

At the cost of obliterating his entire economy completely and turning his country into Venezuela of the east?

Yes. Plus, Ukraine is very fertile. When have you met a dictator that is reasonable?

What does Ukraine being fertile have to do with it? I don't think it was to get more farmland Russia seems to have no shortage of already looking at the map. What Russia lacks isn't farmland, it's population, and Putin is doing a good job destroying this population and probably driving birth rates even lower.

Russia already has tons of arable land, more than it can farm.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. His people don't want what he's doing. His oligarchs can't possibly think this is a good idea. Why is he doing this-is he just an aging man trying to recreate the glory days of the past before it's all too late for him?

What's crazy about wanting more land and resources and doing it when you know no entity will do much to stop you?

This is like dealing with a child who has no rules or boundaries and no enforcement of them.

No consequences for Putin. Nothing but gain. Quite logical actually.

Sure it's unethical and immoral, but not "crazy."

He'll get what he wants annexed to Russia and mass media will tout Biden as a hero. Putin and CHina will be LTAO.

Seems like there have been quite a few consequences. He's got thousands of dead troops, billions of destroyed military equipment, his grand military has been shown to be a rag tag group of misfits, he's stuck in what is likely to be a multi-year insurgency that he will never be able to win, he's brought down economy crushing sanctions on Russia, he united NATO and will likely cause Finland and Sweden to join, and EU is likely to expand to include more in Eastern Europe. All this is likely to create some internal threats to his power from pissed-off oligarchs and other high-level officials who liked it when they could go spend their loot in London and Paris.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. His people don't want what he's doing. His oligarchs can't possibly think this is a good idea. Why is he doing this-is he just an aging man trying to recreate the glory days of the past before it's all too late for him?

What's crazy about wanting more land and resources and doing it when you know no entity will do much to stop you?

This is like dealing with a child who has no rules or boundaries and no enforcement of them.

No consequences for Putin. Nothing but gain. Quite logical actually.

Sure it's unethical and immoral, but not "crazy."

He'll get what he wants annexed to Russia and mass media will tout Biden as a hero. Putin and CHina will be LTAO.

You all are nuts. He wants to stop NATO and the Western influence close to Russia. How hard is that to get?

At the cost of obliterating his entire economy completely and turning his country into Venezuela of the east?

Yes. Plus, Ukraine is very fertile. When have you met a dictator that is reasonable?

What does Ukraine being fertile have to do with it? I don't think it was to get more farmland Russia seems to have no shortage of already looking at the map. What Russia lacks isn't farmland, it's population, and Putin is doing a good job destroying this population and probably driving birth rates even lower.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it. His people don't want what he's doing. His oligarchs can't possibly think this is a good idea. Why is he doing this-is he just an aging man trying to recreate the glory days of the past before it's all too late for him?

What's crazy about wanting more land and resources and doing it when you know no entity will do much to stop you?

This is like dealing with a child who has no rules or boundaries and no enforcement of them.

No consequences for Putin. Nothing but gain. Quite logical actually.

Sure it's unethical and immoral, but not "crazy."

He'll get what he wants annexed to Russia and mass media will tout Biden as a hero. Putin and CHina will be LTAO.

You all are nuts. He wants to stop NATO and the Western influence close to Russia. How hard is that to get?

At the cost of obliterating his entire economy completely and turning his country into Venezuela of the east?

He says he doesn't want NATO on his border - so he invades and annexes Ukraine and now he has NATO nations Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania on his border.

That argument of not having NATO on his border goes up in flames by annexing Ukraine.