• ThisLucidLens@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    20
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    1 day ago

    I think both of you are oversimplifying.

    Choice and freedom take on an entirely different meaning when you have a state media bombarding you with anti-Ukraine propaganda 24/7. It’s easy for us to say from the sidelines that we’d never get swept up in a war against innocents, but probably a lot of the soldiers have been fully indoctrinated with the idea that Ukraine are a threat to their families. Not to mention they probably now have friends and family who have been killed or wounded in this war.

    Putin is the real villain here. He not only started the war, he’s the one who has kept it going by his refusal to withdraw troops, silenced political opposition, lied to his population, influenced global politics in his favour by buying elections, and used his subjects as fodder in this pointless war.

    It’s fucking twisted the amount of suffering one thoroughly evil man can cause.

    • bigFab@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      6 hours ago

      Well, now you are oversimplifying world politics to one man’s deeds. As if Nato expansionism did not play any role in the creation of this conflict. Read a little history before 2023 and you’ll see acquiring Ukraine is been a race between Nato and Russia since at least 2014.

      • TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        4 hours ago

        Russia had already invaded in 2014, and successfully got a puppet as president in 2010.

        NATO doesn’t expand by conquest, countries choose freely to join and other countries (especially hostile ones) don’t get to dictate the alliances of their neighbours.