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I haven't listened to all of Putin's speeches. But I did listen to the one he gave after the invasion. Not once did he mention Ukraine would be easy, and the Russians would be greeted like liberators. Unlike say Rumsfeld, GWB and the rest of the neocons who did just that. In fact, he cautioned Russia that the enemy [west, and by proxy Ukrainians] had great military capabilities implying to me at least he was dampening ambitions.
But like I said, I haven't listened to all his speeches. If you heard of one where he said Ukraine will be a cakewalk and old ladies will throw sunflowers at Russian soldiers - please link here. Until you do, I will stand by my claim that you're a victim of US propaganda.
Did you really believe Saddam had WMD too?
I haven't listened to all his speeches, but he's a frequent liar. All you have to do is look at his actions and the interviews of the Russian POWs. They thought it would all be very easy, just like Crimea was.
I haven't listened to all his speeches, but he's a frequent liar. All you have to do is look at his actions and the interviews of the Russian POWs. They thought it would all be very easy, just like Crimea was.
You trust what POWs are saying? They're afraid for their lives. They will say anything to get out lol.
Look at that British POW in DPR. He's singing the Russian national anthem like a mocking bird to avoid the death penalty.
The Russians were not Varangians. The Varangians were Swedish Vikings moving into territory populated by Slavs and Finnic tribes (in the northern part, in eastern Baltic coast region, moving eastwards from there), and more Slavs as they moved south. The Russian Chronicle is very clear about the northern Slavs being invaded by a foreign people (or according to the record, the Varangians were "invited in").
I feel like we're splitting hairs here. The Varangians were Vikings who conquered areas originally inhabited by Balts and Slavs and created the "Rus". The Viking Rurik first settled in Novgorod, then conquered Kiev.
So who then are the Russians? Were they the Varangians? Were they the people of Novgorod? Were they the people of Kiev? Were they all the Slavic peoples who were conquered by Rurik and his family?
It's funny to listen to Ukrainians claim they're the real Russians, since Rurik was a Swede, the Rus began in Novgorod, Ukraine diverged from Russia after it was conquered and partially-assimilated by Poles, and the Ukrainians only gained their independence from Poland because of Moscow.
For that matter, almost all of the hardcore Ukrainian nationalists live in areas that were Polish until 1939.
It would be like Turks claiming they're the real Romans.
Putin will never be content until he grabs ALL of the Ukraine and renames it the Union of the Stolen Soviet Republics.
The level of Putin's contentment is of no interest to me.
Countries who violate other countries borders are sometimes interesting. Kuwait was interesting. Ukraine is interesting because of the history of Russia/Soviet Union and the level of aggression Russians have displayed by buzzing US warships and bombing Syrian civilians.
Russia already created an enormous refugee crisis in Syria. They have shown they will not stop, so it is time to destroy them economically. An impoverished Russia would make a safer world. Perhaps as poor as Syria. Or Venezuela.
Igor Girkin, former FSB officer who helped launch the 2014 war in Ukraine’s east, predicted Wednesday that "Shoigu was on his way out, saying the defense ministry and its leader have made “an invaluable and huge contribution to the fact that we are now on the verge of a military-political catastrophe.”
Girkin warns that if Russia does not make major changes soon, no mobilisation waves will help, and the country will repeat the 1917 scenario. Says that in light of this, even (temporarily) leaving Kherson, Melitopol and Crimea is not critical.
"Says that in light of this, even (temporarily) leaving Kherson, Melitopol and Crimea is not critical"....no that wouldn't be critical at all...LOL. Looks like he setting expectations.
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