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This is a war of hatred towards Ukrainians from Putin. Therefore he's both 1) not expecting resistance because enemies are dehumanized and weak according to his

by yks 5y ago

This is a war of hatred towards Ukrainians from Putin. Therefore he's both 1) not expecting resistance because enemies are dehumanized and weak according to his worldview, 2) probably ready to start genocide if enemies resist too much, after all, Holodomor happened less than a century ago.

AlexandrB 5y ago
My pet theory is that, in addition to (1), Putin believed his own propaganda and thought that the Ukrainian people (and even parts of the Ukrainian military) would welcome Russia with open arms. This is somewhat backed up by Putin urging the Ukrainian military to perform a coup on the second day of the war[1]. [1] https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/putin-urges-ukraine-military-to-overthrow-leaders/ https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/putin-urges-ukraine-military-to-o...
- ashwagary 5y ago
  According to reports on French news channels, Zelenskyy is considered a puppet by a large % of the population in eastern Ukraine and they are welcoming a Russian invasion. Years ago, I was also suprised to hear people in Crimea celebrating post-Russian take over. This topic was never covered (at least I had seen no mention) in American media during the Crimean invasion.
  - sharikous 5y ago
    If you want to understand a topic you have to hear all sides. Yep there is substance in some Russian points - Ukraine is, somewhat, artificial as a country (bear with me) - In Crimea a lot of people celebrated the takeover. The referendum was rigged but there was a tangible popular support - In Donbass some people are not really fans of the Ukrainian government. I know people from Donetsk that prefer the Russians - People in Donbass suffered from continuous shelling from Ukrainian forces (I don't want to emphasize the "Nazi" affiliation of the Azov brigade because it's a propaganda point but yes, there have been incidents and civilians suffered). Donbass reminds me of Hamas controlled Gaza Strip and I can see both sides - Yes EU and the US pushed for bringing Ukraine into the West and funded their people there - There is definitely a very high level of corruption in Ukraine, especially in the political echelon. Some EU-friendly policies have been obtained by corruption That said I agree with most of the criticism of Putin's regime too. And of course invading a country that is becoming more democratic precisely because they want to defend themselves from you is a crime. And Ukraine is a bit artificial (not 100% artificial but it's not a country with an established culture and identity) but it's exactly those events, like this war, that make it more and more real. The Ukrainian identity is becoming stronger and stronger hour by hour.
  - sofixa 5y ago
    It was widely reported that Crimea was mostly Russian speaking and many there leaned pro-Russia, especially around the referendum ( in the sense that the results were obviously fake, but there was a kernel of truth). And yes, many in Eastern Ukraine considered themselves more Russian than Ukrainian. No more: https://on.ft.com/35jWHzB https://on.ft.com/35jWHzB
glogla 5y ago
Reading his speech, both the one before the invasion and the leaked one that was supposed to go up after victory confirms this. Putins objective is genocide.

by yks 5y ago

AlexandrB 5y ago

My pet theory is that, in addition to (1), Putin believed his own propaganda and thought that the Ukrainian people (and even parts of the Ukrainian military) would welcome Russia with open arms. This is somewhat backed up by Putin urging the Ukrainian military to perform a coup on the second day of the war[1]. [1] https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/putin-urges-ukraine-military-to-overthrow-leaders/ https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/putin-urges-ukraine-military-to-o...

ashwagary 5y ago
According to reports on French news channels, Zelenskyy is considered a puppet by a large % of the population in eastern Ukraine and they are welcoming a Russian invasion. Years ago, I was also suprised to hear people in Crimea celebrating post-Russian take over. This topic was never covered (at least I had seen no mention) in American media during the Crimean invasion.
- sharikous 5y ago
  If you want to understand a topic you have to hear all sides. Yep there is substance in some Russian points - Ukraine is, somewhat, artificial as a country (bear with me) - In Crimea a lot of people celebrated the takeover. The referendum was rigged but there was a tangible popular support - In Donbass some people are not really fans of the Ukrainian government. I know people from Donetsk that prefer the Russians - People in Donbass suffered from continuous shelling from Ukrainian forces (I don't want to emphasize the "Nazi" affiliation of the Azov brigade because it's a propaganda point but yes, there have been incidents and civilians suffered). Donbass reminds me of Hamas controlled Gaza Strip and I can see both sides - Yes EU and the US pushed for bringing Ukraine into the West and funded their people there - There is definitely a very high level of corruption in Ukraine, especially in the political echelon. Some EU-friendly policies have been obtained by corruption That said I agree with most of the criticism of Putin's regime too. And of course invading a country that is becoming more democratic precisely because they want to defend themselves from you is a crime. And Ukraine is a bit artificial (not 100% artificial but it's not a country with an established culture and identity) but it's exactly those events, like this war, that make it more and more real. The Ukrainian identity is becoming stronger and stronger hour by hour.
- sofixa 5y ago
  It was widely reported that Crimea was mostly Russian speaking and many there leaned pro-Russia, especially around the referendum ( in the sense that the results were obviously fake, but there was a kernel of truth). And yes, many in Eastern Ukraine considered themselves more Russian than Ukrainian. No more: https://on.ft.com/35jWHzB https://on.ft.com/35jWHzB

glogla 5y ago

Reading his speech, both the one before the invasion and the leaked one that was supposed to go up after victory confirms this. Putins objective is genocide.