JdeV 100 wrote:Speak to people from the old Soviet bloc. Tell them you're inviting Putin in. Russian invasion is a big fucking deal. If my neighbours said that to Putin I would gently asphyxiate them then jump on their skulls.
I'm a person from the old Soviet bloc. I was raised to believe that the only good Russian is a dead Russian, etc., etc. 50 years ago I would have agreed with your statement. Maybe even 30 years ago.
Today, after a lifetime of studying history, I realize it's not true. Fighting wars to stop nasty dictators:
- Usually brings in even worse dictators; and
- usually kills thousands or tens of thousands in the process, and leaves millions homeless or at least displaced.
All systems are corrupt to various degrees, and the Russian oligarchy is more evil than most, but to the average man on the street the differences aren't significant enough to justify war. If there's war, incredible levels of misery are guaranteed for vast swaths of the population. If a nasty dictator stays in power, there will be lower levels of misery for fewer people.
I'm not saying anyone should be welcoming Putin with open arms. But the Ukrainian people will suffer a lot less if they swap their significantly corrupt government for a somewhat-more corrupt government, than they will fighting a war and having kilotonnes of high explosive dropped in their neighbourhoods.