> Why do you think Putin invaded in 2014? Because I don't know a single person who believes otherwise. And I doubt he would dare to start the war in Donbas bac

> Why do you think Putin invaded in 2014? Because I don't know a single person who believes otherwise. And I doubt he would dare to start the war in Donbas back then if he hadn't been emboldened by his success in Crimea. I talked to my Crimean friends back then, some of them had high hopes related to what would happen if Crimea became Russian. Somehow, none of these hopes materialized. No big stream of rich Russians coming and leaving big stack of rubles there - maybe even less after the annexation. As for Donbas, I had some Russian friends there; most left in 2014 - and obviously were very pro-Russian back then. They were very bitter about the Ukrainian government and hoped - just like Crimeans - that Putin will magically make everything right, that Kharkiv will become second Saint Petersburg. They soon realized the folks Putin sent were the worst thugs, the scum of the earth. To quote one of my friends, "For these people to kill a man was like spitting". Still, many people had a good opinion of Putin, putting all blame on the Ukrainian government. That is, until the shelling of Kharkiv begun. Then they realized the truth, but it was too late. It is still mind-boggling to me. Why did he decide to start killing his own people? There was so much good will for him in this city, there is none left. Unbelievable. BTW the aspirations of Ukraine you mention is just one part of the story; Ukraine doesn't decide whether they can join NATO - member states of NATO do. So far, everybody was against, including the USA, France, and Germany. Maybe the war changes it, but I doubt it.