Russia and Ukraine

[pocaracas]

Thank you for your effort, Rev.

Is that what Western propaganda told you, or what the Kremlin said?


How do you know Russia's objectives?

I can't find any sources for Boru's three weeks figure. The closest I could find were articles from three weeks into the invasion expressing surprise that Ukraine was still fighting with such little headway, and the director of the CIA claiming that Putin hoped Kyiv would fall in two days.

Unfortunately, that's all US based media claiming to know what's going on in Russia's high command.
Don't know about you, but I'm skeptical of those claims. They do sound nice, but after all these months they seem less likely to be true.

As for Russia's objectives, look no further than this article penned by Vladimir Putin himself and hosted on the Kremlin's own website. Putin has made abundantly clear that he doesn't even believe Ukraine should be an independent nation, and even compared the state's mere existence to a WMD attack on Russia.

That's a long ass text...
Ok, I skimmed over a few parts, but noticed that he put some emphasis on similar cultures in neighbouring countries coexisting peacefully, like US and Canada, or Germany and Austria. And then he concludes with:

"Russia is open to dialogue with Ukraine and ready to discuss the most complex issues. But it is important for us to understand that our partner is defending its national interests but not serving someone else's, and is not a tool in someone else's hands to fight against us.

We respect the Ukrainian language and traditions. We respect Ukrainians' desire to see their country free, safe and prosperous.

I am confident that true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia. "

Partnership is not subjugation and integration.
Sure, he wants a puppet in charge of Ukraine that will say "yes, master Putin", just like Lukashenko is in Belarus... but that's not what he's been getting since 2014 and now he's throwing a tantrum because his neighbour won't come out and play with him.

And over a month after the invasion, this article appeared in Russian State Media. While I haven't found any reaction from Putin (though given that it was posted on official Russian State media, I doubt he's going to disavow it), it looks like his lapdog Medvedev is in firm agreement.

That article reads like a delusional plot for extermination... The hatred towards the Ukranians seems to match that which itself decries, the Nazi regime. The double standard must be difficult to maintain in that mind. Anyway, that looks like propaganda to rile up their own people against Ukrainians... contradicting what Putin himself put in his article that you showed above.

As I said before, there is propaganda from both sides and care must be taken when reading into all this.
If this conflict stays in Ukraine, it will have to be resolved by the people in charge of Russia and Ukraine, and those are Putin and Zelensky (for now), so they will each have to somehow make it look like they gained something out of the agreement, that's why I say that Boru's list is unrealistic.