Articles like this are kind of the point of this war: people exchanging views in a respectful ways in written form is a freedom we have that is currently denied

Articles like this are kind of the point of this war: people exchanging views in a respectful ways in written form is a freedom we have that is currently denied to many Russians and that Ukrainians are fighting to preserve in their own country, which has been invaded. IMHO the reason Chomsky's views are disappointing is that he in effect picks the oppression of Ukrainians by Russians as a lesser evil compared to them fighting for their freedom. War is ugly and Chomsky is of course a life long pacifist. So that isn't a surprising point of view. But you'd hope he'd value his own freedoms a bit higher. To deny that freedom to others is the bit that disappoints.