The reasons why there isn’t actually another perspective like this: Everything you said was true years ago as well, a form of it was even true during the Cuban

The reasons why there isn’t actually another perspective like this: Everything you said was true years ago as well, a form of it was even true during the Cuban missile crisis, as the US had missiles at the border of the soviet union too, there is nothing unique or newfound geopolitically about the timing here to support this “security issue”. Russia creates contexts for invasion. It hands passports out to pro-Russian residents in parts of Ukraine, and then invades to “protects its citizens” so that it could theoretically be judged the same way as other countries that do interventions. Adding all of that to an ideological retcon from 100 years ago, and all you have left is an irrational madman who wants to be in the footnote of a history book as attempting empire rebuilding. Putin’s own advisors are afraid of him and cant give him a straight answer about anything, they're afraid of the international consequences of this as well. None of this supports the idea of a leader doing anything in the interest of Russians or the concept of a Russian empire. We’ll never even get to know what an independent Donetsk and Luhansk even means. Microstates? Districts of Russia? This is just all way off and a mess. Its come down to just choosing a side and watching the results unfold.