https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62djMLHT2CE

BadEmpanada believes that the US has been provoking Russia by NATO expansion and should stop doing that but does not believe that Russia has a right to Ukrainian territory nor invading them.

Killing a million Ukrainians is not a very effective way of "liberating Ukrainians of oppression".

A full video on his stance on the conflict which I found decent: your point is mentioned at 4:05 though not addressed much.

Of the global superpowers I'm far, far more sympathetic to China than Russia, despite having criticism of China as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnVs4OmYyBM

I watched the Tucker Carlson interview with Putin hoping to get a good Russian perspective but Putin really did the most awful job of not presenting any argument or relevant history.

He just went "look we have this paper from the 1600s which said that Ukraine belongs to Russia because a count said so" or something. He didn't even go for the anti-NATO line. Full on "this land was promised to us 3000 years ago. Just the absolute worst defenses possible as if he didn't even care.

You are right there are Russian speaking regions can have good motive to want to become part of Russia. But there too, referendums turning up with a like 95% pro-Russia vote are screaming "rigged" even if you ignore all the Western reporting about it. Once again Russia does an extremely poor job of justifying what might have been justified.

As for the nukes, a border doesn't make much difference these days. Pretty sure America already has a satellite carried nuke anyways. And submarines. And other ways to launch deep into Russia using ICBM's. If Iran has hypersonic missiles which can reach Europe then America has similar missiles for sure.

But Russia has nukes too. NATO attacking Russia is basically impossible. What seems most relevant to me is that Russia would never be able to reconquer Ukraine if Ukraine joined NATO.

I'm not really that partial in the Ukraine war. Russia has a right to not want the West on their borders but at the same time they don't have a right to control Ukraine as a satellite state. Ukraine's biggest mistake was giving up its nukes in exchange for security guarantees which never materialized. The ideal outcome is if it stayed a neutral buffer zone between the West and Russia.

I don't watch garbage like Tucker Carlson.
Wouldn't even trust the editing or the (deliberate) mistranslations.
And even less base my opinion on that.
Can't take that seriously.

But there too, referendums turning up with a like 95% pro-Russia vote are screaming “rigged”

And there you go repeating western propaganda which I also mentioned as an excuse to deny the results.
I'm sure you have proof of that.
I mentioned polls from long before the coup and ukraine was still friendly with Russia.
Where all those polls rigged too?

As for the nukes, a border doesn’t make much difference these days. Pretty sure America already has a satellite carried nuke anyways. And submarines. And other ways to launch deep into Russia using ICBM’s. If Iran has hypersonic missiles which can reach Europe then America has similar missiles for sure.

then you know better than the military experts on both sides who say otherwise.
Distance matters. There is little time to react and also you don't want NATO fascist troops on the closest border to Moscow.
Certainly not since they unilaterally ended all the missile treaties, changed their nuclear policy allowing a first strike and constantly provoking.
This from the only maniacs that have used nukes before.

What seems most relevant to me is that Russia would never be able to reconquer Ukraine if Ukraine joined NATO.

Again, that was never the intention as I explained, the west escalated to this.
Even now they will only keep the east and Crimea who don't want anything to do with ukraine anyway.
They will have their buffer and that's as far as NATO expansion can go.

they don’t have a right to control Ukraine as a satellite state.

Obviously only the US has that right.

I rarely watch Tucker but I did watch his episode with Putin because that was Putin's moment to explain everything from his perspective. And he failed spectacularly. I severely doubt there were mistranslations. That would have been brought up.

It was actually 98% instead of 95. I know Western media frequently lies or embellishes stories but this seems just too ridiculous. npr.org/2022/09/27/1125322026/…

Unless I'm woefully misinformed then feel welcome to present me with evidence of the contrary. I literally watched Putin speak for like an hour to get a different perspective but was not presented with any.

Again you are fixated on basing yourself on ONE interview from some clown from the banana republic.
Putin or Lavrov have made many statements and speeches explaining their reasons, concers and demands in detail.
Clinging to this and only this to make your assumptions is weak and laughable.
But sure, ignore all that and start about .
Maybe you can throw in some Alex Jones somewhere.

I severely doubt there were mistranslations. That would have been brought up.

Right, definitely in the free and democratic western press they don't do stuff like that, or worse.
Like this farce?

this seems just too ridiculous.

When they had more than 75% in favor long before the coup and now they can't even use their language and get shelled by nazis who also cut off their water supply they couldn't possibly get 98%?
But OC what do those facts mean when you meticulously determined 'it seems ridiculous'.

And what is your US regime link based on ukranian 'sources' supposed to prove here?

OC the western press and organisations want to throw accusations and try everything to delegitimise a referendum they don't like.

They let everyone make the wildest unverified claims but when someone goes against their narrative like a German observer who reported “Being here, I can see with my own eyes that people are voting voluntarily,” they have to criticise it.
“Observers cannot properly assess elections when they are not members of a long-term observation mission and when they make public statements based only on their own limited observation,” the EPDE mouthpieces said.

Not only that, this guy was also fired from his job with this explanation: “clearly violates the world view, the moral values and the philosophy of the company.”
LOL

Unless I’m woefully misinformed then feel welcome to present me with evidence of the contrary. I literally watched Putin speak for like an hour to get a different perspective but was not presented with any.

You're not even misinformed but simply uninformed since you have made zero effort and think you've done enough by watching 'a whole hour!!!' of BS on which you base your predetermined conclusion that Putin bad.

I don't need to prove anything, you prove that all the referenda are a sham.
Or can you determine that also from your vast research watching your little screen?

Unless Ukrainians are the smartest people in the world a 98% vote on anything is virtually impossible. If you asked people whether the entire human race should be wiped out you probably wouldn't even get 98% against.

The source they link to is ria.ru/20220927/referendum-181…

Is that not a Russian source? I know about the staged Assad prisoner. Again, unless provided with evidence I don't believe anything from Western media. But this one seems to check out.

As for the Tucker interview, I've done more research than that. But if Putin thinks that during the only interview he does with English media where he can present his side of the story, it's a good idea to just troll everyone, that's on him. I recommend you watch Putins interview with Tucker and judge for yourself. youtu.be/fOCWBhuDdDo

Жители четырех освобожденных регионов поддержали присоединение к России

Жители Донецкой и Луганской народных республик, а также Запорожской и Херсонской областей проголосовали за вхождение в состав России. РИА Новости, 28.09.2022

^{РИА Новости}

I suppose technically it's a solution to the immediate logistical challenges of a truce, short of Russia withdrawing and leaving Ukraine in peace. Long-term though Russia will commit all manner of war crimes to prevent the land returning to Ukraine.

It's heartbreaking to see Trump throw Ukraine under the bus, more than the land I really hope they can at least negotiate the return of the Ukrainian children temporarily placed in foster care that were abducted into Russia. Separating children from their parents and putting them into a country that is hostile to their race is incredibly cruel, and I will never forgive Russia for it.

1. Marginalize anything even slightly left of centre.
2. Go rightward trying to chirp off electorate off your rival alt-right party.
3. Observe entire national political spectrum shifting so far to the right, that European centrists become extreme left by your standards.

At least revolutionaries like Cassian existed.

::: spoiler I just rewatched S2E6 tonight.
Fuck. So fucked up that Cinta dies after they reconcile. Fucking shit. Ugh, hate that scene.
:::