Don't care, and not the point.
I don't believe he would have acted so rashly... And I really don't believe the press or our government. The very same press and government that y'all were perfectly and adamantly against wrt information about Tumpy... Writing every bit of that off...
But you are willing to blithely eat everything they feed you now...
Putin is beside the point.
Whoa, there, waitaminit!
I have yet to watch the mainstream press accounts of the war--almost any of it, mainly because I've been on wellsites where I either don't have time for TV or simply cannot stream the videos. We have monitoring equipment out there that is the necessary bandwidth hog.
IIRC, the MSM was yabbling about the alleged Nazis everywhere under every bed in the Eastern Ukraine, that Putin was going to free the 'true Russians' from by 'liberating' the eastern oblasts. At least that;s what was being said around here.
I'm not eating the press bit, just looking at non-war/pre war related facts from other sources.
Eastern Ukraine is/was known for its oil production in the region, grain production, steel mills, coal reserves, ports, and even its missile industry (pre-war).
Desirable assets? Yep. The steelworks even shipped armor plate to the Russians pre-war, and sold them missile components. Maybe someone thought they could get a better deal if the Russians owned it all.
At the root of virtually every war is an economic motive, either straight up, or the seizure of power or assets to get that economic benefit.
I recall lots of prewar propaganda about how the (predominantly Russian speaking) people in the eastern provinces were just Russians waiting for liberation?
Which sounds a mite like the Alsace Lorraine in WWII--good, oppressed Germans waiting to be liberated (along with their industry and resources).
Justification to 'liberate' them...not to mention all the goodies that come with the turf?
It's the same play. History repeats itself, only this time, the invasion isn't allowed to keep going.
It's easy to demonize Putin, but it
was his call (if he's running the show), just as much as Hitler crossing into Poland or the Kaiser into France. Only, the Ukrainians are doing a better job of fighting the invasion, helped by the endemic lack of maintenance on Russian armored vehicles, wet weather, and deceptive terrain.
Whether true or a 'war story' like
The Ghost, the quote attributed to Zelenskyy, "I don't need a ride, i need more ammunition" is the sort of thing that can really inspire resistance, and I believe it has. None who values what freedom they have (or fears having much less) can fail to be inspired by a leader who stays and asks for the means to fight, whether those lines were for the tourists or not.
What leaders of the 'Free World' could fail to pitch in and help?
Well played--either great propaganda or marvelous international manipulation, but effective either way.
As for the aid being sent: Weapons systems from the east bloc first, on par with most Russian systems or close, because that's where they likely came from or were designed, even if a little dated. Eastern European countries desiring to join NATO or members already are clearing out their garage sale items which were fully compatible with the training the Ukrainians already had, and it was welcome there.
Money for replacements will go to the Military Industrial Complex in the west as NATO and wannabes standardize weapons systems and upgrade, and the West generally has a better reputation for their stuff working (with the possible exception of the AK-47 and related small arms).
In the West, the possibilities for skimming funds all around over weapons contracts are likely mind-boggling, so for the pols, lobbyists, and others, this is a winner!
We send some samples of systems that haven't been battle=tested and get to see how they do, but we also dust off a lot of aging stores (which will have to be replaced at some point) and get to tally those up as aid (which they are), but on the back side of that, more contracts, mo' money!
Eastern Europe, either NATO or under the umbrella gets to standardize with NATO and upgrade their stuff.
The old stuff gets sent off before it cooks off in a magazine somewhere or has to be decommissioned, and letting Ukraine fire those shells or shoot those rockets is cheaper than decommissioning, and they will be replaced with the latest with a full shelf life.
The M.I.C. is key to the funding, because the aid will be sent at top dollar, the replacements at cost plus, and the opportunities for baksheesh, cumshaw, and basic grift and graft are simply astonishing.
I'd be shocked if 30% of the 'government funds' are getting there in any form. Some of the NGOs are likely to be spending more than 50% on their advertised mission than they are on 'costs' which would include fat salaries and perks for people at the top, of course, but that's only because they have to keep the fundraising thing going, too.
I'm not seeing saints all over anywhere, but the bottom line is that Russia invaded Ukraine, starting with Crimea, and is in Phase 2 of the process, only this phase hasn't gone well.
Putin miscalculated, badly, and this mess is the result. He may even have believed what he had been told by advisors, and any leader can be misled by those who are supposed to be giving him accurate information. (Fauci et. al. did that to Trump, IMHO).
If Putin really is in with the Globalists, or maybe if any of them are in tight with the whole Davos depopulation thing, then we can expect at least a limited nuclear conflict to play into that, regardless of who gets the blame for starting it. None of us have the spectral data analysis equipment to determine the origin of any of what gets cooked off, and even that can be spoofed. I am sure neither of us want to wake up and look East to a bunch of fast contrails heading north...and I suspect no one else really does either, but I can't rule out such an event. The only question is one of how far that would go if it gets started.
Recall, in End Times prophecy, no mention of the US as a player has been inferred.
God will judge, and He is the only one I worship.
I'm just posting my opinions on a web forum.
They are worth every nickel you spent on them.