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Notes -
I’ll give you the straight european-liberal view: the diversity of russian views (and your own) is largely schizo nonsense, partly fomented by putin himself , to keep his subjects and potential opponents confused, disunited, apolitical and demoralized.
Putin supports the brutality because he believes what he says he believes – ‘brother peoples’, old historic and not-so old grievances and insults, the necessary greatness of russia, etc – that stuff’s more important to him than countless dead russians, to say nothing of ukrainians.
Trump likes putin personally; in particular, his appearance of strength and his long-held authoritarian power. And, you know, trump’s people aren’t dying in ukraine, he genuinely does not care or need to care all that much about foreigners killing each other.
Even if they could destroy them, they probably think they’ll get them in a settlement, or use them for the big push when the ukrainians collapse, as they were always supposed to.
Russians are a lot weaker than they think they are. At the bottom, their ‘inexplicable’ failure to win manifests in conspiracy theories like yours. At the top, they cling to hope of a total victory long after its potential benefits have been exceeded by the horrendous costs of the war.
? They tried attacking everything at first, no?
OK that's just complete cuckoo.
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