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It's actually not about territory expansion. You're missing the point: land grab is a means to an end. Look at the Russia on the map: does it really lack space
by mndgs 4y ago
It's actually not about territory expansion. You're missing the point: land grab is a means to an end. Look at the Russia on the map: does it really lack space to build, needs more land? It's one of the lowest population densities in the world.
The true goal was to distract the attention of regular Russians from his failures inside the country, from the looting by him and other KGB cronies, make sure he stays in power, gets elected again. Or alternatively, no one would challenge the local status quo, all the oligarchs keep their wealth, continue sucking on mother's Russia titty while 99% of population is poor as fck. Why the hell each Russian soldier would then try to loot a washing machine, a TV set or a toilet and bring that back some 1000+ kilometres into the depth of Russia?! Because they are already piss poor, and then don't know it. And in their wildest dreams none of them would ever believe that it's Putin and his cronies that have put them in this missery. Putin is a fcking thief, a dictator whom TV-zombied avera Russian adores.
- TeeMassive 4y agoPlease read bout NATO expansion and the end of its non-aggression stance since the 90s.
- dane-pgp 4y agoPlease read about Soviet expansion, and the existence of sovereign nations freed from Russian control since the 90s.
- TeeMassive 4y agoThe US promised Russia not to take in former Soviet Republics if they dissolved. Then they did, breaking the promise (as was confirmed by a prank call made to Bush BTW and other documents before that). I get it why the wanted to join, but let's not ignore the geopolitical realities here.
- mrguyorama 4y ago>The US promised Russia not to take in former Soviet Republics if they dissolved Provide any evidence of that, at all
- layer8 4y agoIt’s clear that such assurances were made repeatedly, though not legally binding, by representatives of NATO countries, including the US. See for example: https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nato-s-eastward-expansion-is-vladimir-putin-right-a-bf318d2c-7aeb-4b59-8d5f-1d8c94e1964d https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nato-s-eastward-e...
- dane-pgp 4y ago> In particular, [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov] focused on the Charter for European Security, rooted in agreements reached in 1990. East and West had concurred at the time that every country has a right to freely choose the alliance it wished to be part of Only in the minds of the most fevered Kremlin apologists is that a promise by NATO not to let other nations join.
- layer8 4y agoYou’re cherry-picking quotes. Also, I’d like to stress that the fact that those assurances were made, and later not adhered to, in absolutely no way excuses Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, or their previous annexation of the Crimea.
- bryanlarsen 4y agoThat was never a promise, it was a proposal.
- PartiallyTyped 4y agoFYI, \* escapes the star.
- rat87 4y agoWar is always a risk. No matter how over optimistic he was it's too big of a risk for a small poll bounce. This is about revanchist nationalistism/securing legacy/rebuilding the empire
- hedora 4y agoI seriously doubt it matters how people vote in their upcoming elections.
- effie 4y agoYeah, but even these dictator types need to keep people distracted, to prevent discontent, unrest and dangerous ideas of revolution from brewing in the population. Dictators sometimes do get removed.
- saiya-jin 4y agoHitler already recognized that Ukraine is a) strategically very important due to its location, ie Black sea, gateweay to balkan and rest of Europe and b) has super fertile 'cernozem' (black earth would be direct translation). Plus quite a bit of industry, mostly post-soviet (well that one may be destroyed now). Already soviets did this with warsaw-pact countries (poland, czechoslovakia, hungary) - shield against western europe, a battlefield where WWII was supposed to be fought. Invaded these countries that are not even close to russia and kept their iron hand above (and large military bases).