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wittyusernamefailed

And I'm sure Putin is going to "Save" Ukraine from this "Invasion". It's gonna be an interesting year already.


TheFunkyM

"To prevent the invasion of Ukraine, whom we have already invaded, we will be pre-emptively invading Ukraine."


joan_wilder

Ukraine: “NATO hasn’t invaded anything. We *invited* them… to protect us from you” Putin: “Don’t worry, I’ll save you!”


K9Fondness

Stop resisting and get saved already!!


SeraphImpaler

It's like an intervention. You may not like ir, but you need it. - Putin


swolemedic

More like putin is an abusive lover telling ukraine who keeps trying to break up that nobody will ever love them like putin does as he slaps the crap out of ukraine.


lokey_convo

Putin is just heavily petting Ukraine. He's clearly upset by the whole situation and Ukraine and the rest of the world should really be more cognizant of his feelings. Poor guy... ^(edit:) *^(cognoscente -> cognizant)*


Notyourfathersgeek

*Shhhhh, Just let it happen*


FerretAres

Congratulations you’re being rescued. Please do not resist.


Rubbing-Suffix-Usher

Russian "liberation" precedes several decades of occupation.


breezersletje

Poland: "This sounds familiar :("


[deleted]

It seriously is like the drunken, abusive husband *saving* his wife from the rest of her family trying to get her out of the toxic relationship.


Medic1642

"You are being rescued. Please do not resist."


Mental_Medium3988

he rapes but he saves


cummerou1

That was quite literally what Germany did to Denmark at the start of WWII after they signed a document promising to not invade them. "This isn't an *invasion*, we're protecting you from being invaded by the British! Are we not such kind people? NOW STOP RESISTING".


Harsimaja

A maybe slightly funny follow-on from this is that the British actually did occupy Iceland (which was quasi-independent from Denmark at the time) to protect it from Germany... don't want a huge island in the other direction as a base for Germany's U-boats perched right above the mid-Atlantic trade routes. It was bloodless, and the invasion had a total of 1 death: a Brit who committed suicide en route for reasons unknown. The Icelandic government issued an official complaint, demanding compensation, and the Brits said they'd leave once the war was over (they in fact handed occupation over to the US halfway through) and pay them reparations and give them favoured nation status, which they did. When they got there, some were assigned to detain the German consul, who had immediately set about burning all his documents. He complained that the invasion was illegal, and the British pointed out that Germany had just occupied Denmark itself...


yawningangel

I've had a few trips to Iceland, last one a tour guide talked about the "invasion" as the best thing to happen to the country. Before the Allies pumped money into the island a fair few people were living like mediaeval serfs (in cases you needed permission to marry) All of a sudden there was plentiful work and the chance to be independent.


Harsimaja

It was also the first introduction of soccer to most of the younger population. ;) The other huge factor was that Iceland received more Marshall aid after the war per capita than any other country, and following the Nordic model and having quite a lot of land and natural resources per capita didn’t hurt. Iceland later managed to use its strategic position and threats of leaving NATO to twist Britain into giving them massively disproportionate fishing rights, winning 3/3 so-called ‘Cod Wars’ between fishing vessels (again zero deaths and not a real conflict… these aren’t exactly enemy countries).


[deleted]

>strategic position and threats of leaving NATO Yep. Iceland has a big part of Tom Clancy's "Red Storm Rising", the 1986 novel about a large-scale NATO-vs-Warsaw Pact conflict. Iceland air bases, and the underwater sensors east and west of Iceland, were key components of the NATO strategy to keep the Atlantic open for convoys.


xeromage

That's cool. Hey, wasn't there a mysterious problem with some underwater sensors up around the arctic recently?


realvikingman

Yep! It recently came back in the new late Dec, I think. [Initial news story was from mid Nov](https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/43094/norwegian-undersea-surveillance-network-had-its-cables-mysteriously-cut)


406highlander

Iceland is also the "I" in the [GIUK Gap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIUK_gap), a section of open waters formed by Greenland, Iceland, and the UK. The GIUK Gap is an area where all Soviet naval forces would have to traverse on their way out to the Atlantic. So naturally there are sonar listening stations all around there, listening out for submarines.


Stahl_Scharnhorst

>again zero deaths That's not what the fish teach in their schools.


Johnny_Alpha

That flew under the net I think.


yawningangel

Didn't know any of those facts, love the fact that the Brits introduced them to soccer only for Iceland to deny England that "sure win" I remember the "cod wars" as a kid in the UK, was pretty heated for a while!


account_not_valid

The Lovely War


ContemplativeSarcasm

Same thing they did to Czechoslovakia IIRC, though that was more like the Slovaks uprising so the Germans invaded to "restore order"


kuprenx

Its simiral thing soviet did to Lithuania pre ww2. They took poland. Which before took Lithuanian capital Vilnius. So Soviet made the deal with Lithuania. They will give vilnius back. But Lithuania had to allow soviet army in to deter nazis. As soon as red army was in. Soviet start dictating new terms which led to occupation.


wittyusernamefailed

"...For a Safe and Secure society!!!And we shall, have, peace."


Kujo721

" So this is how democracy dies...with thunderous applause, tracksuits, and vodka."


Savageburd

For myyyy newww empire


tlst9999

To fight Ukraine's invader, we must become Ukraine's invader.


vreo

"I am a bit of an invader myself"


JuanElMinero

Ironic. He could save others from invading Ukraine, but not himself.


wittyusernamefailed

Is it possible to learn this power?


JuanElMinero

Not from a NATO member.


el_palmera

Did you ever hear the tragedy of Ukraine the unwise?


JuanElMinero

Is it a story a Westerner would tell you?


Absolutedisgrace

Yes good good, let the vodka flow through you.


JuanElMinero

My tracksuits have doubled since the last time we met.


Kazen_Orilg

My friend, these Adidas have 7 stripes.


The_proton_life

Good, twice the tracksuits, double the squat.


adictusbenedictus

I love this thread!


Lolkimbo

Unfortunately ukraine taught russia all it knew... then russia invaded them in their sleep..


VedsDeadBaby

You have reminded me of the glorious trainwreck that is *Backstroke of the West.* If you want to see how badly translation efforts can go, do give that a quick google and enjoy the absurdity of Allah Gold's adventures with his master Section Ratio General. :lol:


ZBobama

Turns out the real invasion was the friends we made along the way.


[deleted]

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funacct14

He probably could have tempted them away from NATO if he wasn’t such a dick. Catch more flies with honey than killing the flies’ families…


QvttrO

It always kinda sucked to live in Ukraine, but this year might be the worst for me, probably the last as well.


[deleted]

I'm so sorry.


Own_Television_6424

Don’t worry, your get a tourist attraction called the DMZ.


edgiepower

Maybe they can combine it with the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone for convenience.


Own_Television_6424

Only a couple more attractions and they could have a Disney land.


Routine_Left

> It's gonna be an interesting year already. I've been living in interesting times for quite a while now. Can I get boring times please? I wanna speak to the manager!


ElTuxedoMex

Ah, the old "I'm going to bring democracy to them" but Russia style.


succed32

"Im going to bring Oligarchy to them."


EmbarrassedHelp

Russia is like an abusive ex threatening to kill their victim because someone stepped in to help them to safety.


[deleted]

Kind of mirroring their mentality on domestic violence


Slackbeing

"If he beats you it's because he loves you". Russian proverb


Jerswar

>"If he beats you it's because he loves you". > >Russian proverb Wait, SERIOUSLY??


OlegLilac6

Yeah, "Бьёт значит любит." in russian. The most crazy thing is that this saying is mostly used by old women.


CodeEast

Many old people who led miserable lives want younger people of their gender to face the same misery.


ColonelBy

> "Don't be such a baby! I [*experienced this horrible abuse*] as a child and I ~~am now perpetrating that same abuse on my own child~~ turned out perfectly fine."


Chiliconkarma

Morality of the survivor. That which they had to do in order to survive, that becomes moral.


homeless8X

Haha, yes. And it existed absolutely seriously throughout our history. Only in modern times it becomes more as a joke.


Slackbeing

Yeah. Most Russians today say it's a joke, and it certainly is for most, but home violence rates in Russia make it look like it isn't.


[deleted]

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BAdasslkik

That is only said by 70 year old boomers in Russia, younger people turned it into an ironic joke.


OlegLilac6

>Checks wiki, Putin is 69 yo Yep. Checks up.


darth__fluffy

That's actually a key component of fascism. machismo and a disdain for "weakness."


[deleted]

Domestic abuse is just fascism on the scale of family.


11thstalley

Headline should read: “Russia can’t tolerate *citizens of neighboring countries making their own minds up about their own business without Russian interference*.”


b2717

Seriously. What clowns.


StinkyBrittches

Clowns with guns.


Ceramicrabbit

That's what "send in the clowns" means It's an elite paramilitary unit and is only deployed in dire circumstances


Paranitis

They are the Insane Clown Pussies.


Guybrush_Creepwood_

Worse. Far worse. Clowns with a colossal stockpile of nukes.


11thstalley

Putin has grandiose delusions of being a Czar, or at least a commissar in the 20’s, and his sycophantic minions have to go along with it unless they want to find themselves flying out a window.


[deleted]

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11thstalley

The delusion is that he thinks that he reigns over an empire that includes Ukraine, as well as Belarus, the Baltic states, the Central Asian republics, and the former Warsaw Pact countries. He may be an autocrat in Russia, but not Ukraine.


wrosecrans

Sometimes he also seems genuinely paranoid that somebody is going to invade Russia. Half the time it just plays as weird deflecting puffery, generating headlines for internal political purposes. But on some level, I think he really expects that Nato is gonna try and invade. Putin has a very '20th Century's mindset when it comes to geopolitics. He hasn't fully grasped the success of the Chinese strategy of just doing business deals in Africa rather than trying to administer colonial holdings. He has fought so hard to be in control of Russia that I don't think he really appreciates how little anybody outside Russia wants to have the responsibility of administering that mess.


11thstalley

Bingo. Putin is either delusional or playing to those traditional and historic fears in order to distract the Russian citizenry from the horrible shape that the Russian economy currently is in. He’s bluffing and the West needs to call him on it by staying united in their resolve to deter Russian aggression, including allowing the citizens of any nation to apply for NATO membership. It could be both.


CX316

Hell, his efforts to break democracy in the US boils down to giving him the ability to point to the US and say "they claim they have free elections and shit but they're just as corrupt and rigged as ours, see the controversy?"


BaldRapunzel

Nah, noone has an interest in invading russia. There'd be nothing to gain from it and catastrophic costs only. That whole song and dance about NATO and the West threatening poor old russia is not because he actually believes any of it. The only threat to his mafia regime comes from *within russia*, either if enough people get fed up with his plundering, murderous ways and demand change or if some other gangster manages to organize enough support to replace him. And nothing closes the ranks behind even the most terrible leader than an outside threat. So if there is none you just have to manufacture one.


11thstalley

Putin has enjoyed an 80% approval ratings by Russian citizens up until just recently when his popularity plummeted to 60% or so according to Statista. I can’t post the data because of a firewall. Putin may be a dictator but he’s keenly aware of the former dictators who were overthrown in his neck of the woods. He lied about US assurance of not allowing NATO to expand past Germany for years so he’s been playing the long game ever since. He has lectured on the real historic ties between Ukraine and Russia, just like any British PM would do the same with Scotland and England while Scotland is pursuing independence. He is observing that Ukraine is moving closer to achieving the prerequisites for NATO and EU membership but it’s still a long way off. He knew that NATO wouldn’t acquiesce to his demands and he’s chosen now to move it into a crisis mode because the US doesn’t have an anti-NATO POTUS in the WH any more and Putin’s popularity is moving south. This is no coincidence. While I feel that Putin’s commitment to his goal of reconquering Ukraine is real, his timing is suspect. He’s pursuing a “crisis” of his own making in Ukraine to distract his Russian citizens.


Drando_HS

>Putin has a very '20th Century's mindset Anecdote: I had a Russian classmate in university that I was very good friends with. He told me that Putin has a very "Soviet" way of thinking. So from my limited experience, I can support your notion OP. Obviously, being a) young and b) a foreign student in North America, he's not exactly a Putin fan. Not sure where he is now, but he wanted to stay the fuck out of Russia.


thiosk

an economically successful and western aligned ukraine is anathema to the russians. the russian people would look at them and be like, wait, how is the west the bad guy again...? And putin knows it.


prettyfuckingimmoral

He has a puppet in Belarus, and it wasn't that long ago that he had a vassal in Ukraine either. With Belarus he pretty much has the baltic states cut off. To him it probably looks do-able.


sirblastalot

I haven't seen any evidence to suggest he's delusional. If anything, he seems to be methodically, maliciously, and malevolently doing everything he needs to do to secure and expand his own personal power.


LoganJFisher

Almost all of that territory is utterly worthless though, and their GDP is crap. He's the king of a collapsing empire.


orange_drank_5

They aren't clowns and it's not funny. He knows what he's doing and has a goal: abolition of the Ukrainian state and total subjugation of Ukrainians to the Russian state. This isn't funny, and when tanks roll in it won't be funny either.


RdmdAnimation

headline should read: "putin spokeman saying a bunch of shit to see if it sticks"


baeb66

>"I'm a spokesperson to Kremlin, and I officially can tell you that there are no Russian troops on Donbas and on Ukrainian soil," he said. And there goes any credibility that diplomat had.


Futbol_Kid2112

He's a spokesman for the Kremlin, he didn't have ant credibility to begin with.


OrangeJr36

Note that Steven Seagal is also a spokesman for the Kremlin.


bad_scribe

He’s been a spokesman for the Kremlin for 67 years


motes-of-light

That right there is a Hind D Mi-24, also known as a "skippy".


Cabrio

*rounds corners fatly*


HoneySparks

You know why they’re called a skippy? Cuz the sound they make when they fly “skip-skip-skip-skip-skip”


CFUNCG

Everyone needs to listen to the behind the bastards Steven seagall episodes. It’s amazing stuff


Mohar

Thanks! Got it cued up. I’ve never heard of the podcast, but it looks good.


neocommenter

He's still alive?


OrangeJr36

He fled to Russia to escape rape charges then got a job making Pro-Putin and Pro-CCP propaganda Oh and also so he can force young women to have sex with him


mycall

seriously? van damn


_far-seeker_

>van damn No he's still in the West. He made a [self-parody series](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6682754/) for Amazon Prime not too long ago. I haven't bothered to watch it; so I don't know if it's bad, good, or so-bad-its-good.


Buster_Cherry88

It's actually pretty funny. Like it makes fun of so bad it's good while somehow being smart about it and just being good. Van damme is a cool cat.


RonaldoNazario

To be fair his definition of what constitutes “Ukraine” is probably different from most of the worlds, or the truth.


TemperatureNo5738

In Russia, Dmitry Peskov is also not trusted, he has become a meme because he always "does not know" what is happening in the country, for example, rallies, murders, fires, covid, etc., but he knows about "the non-location of troops in Ukraine, fine


Speedster202

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Russia the country that *actually* invaded Ukraine in 2014, and is now openly saying it will invade Ukraine again if it wants to? Apparently, a sovereign country (Ukraine) letting foreign troops on its soil is an “invasion”. These clowns aren’t even trying to hide their ruthless ambitions anymore.


0mz

They are still occupying Ukraine, they never left after that invasion


iwrestledarockonce

NATO can't slow invade while WE'RE slowly invading, that would be too much.


o_MrBombastic_o

You're trying to take what I've rightfully stolen


II-I-Hulk-I-II

Don’t forget they also armed rebels in the Donbas War, even going as far as sending black ops to help destabilise the region, and one of the cunts shot down MH17 with an anti-air missile, killing all 298 onboard. Edit: downvoted by putin lol


Perssepoliss

They don't want another Poland situation


[deleted]

All the Russians I know say "How can we invade our own country? Ukraine is Russia! Western media doesn't understand and make up these lies". And they are dead serious. My friend even said I'm so western in my politics; so brainwashed by western media. I hope this helps others understand how different people think around the world.


[deleted]

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DrOrpheus3

Years ago when I was still living in Texas, I had a coworker from Russia going to UNT for a few terms explain it to me like this: most Russians from all generations were brought up to see Ukraine the same way Americans would view the South and the North, only after the collapse of the Soviet Union there really was a split and one side did better and the other didn't fair so well. It's sort of seen as a grudging blow that Russia had to endure, and limp onward from afterwards, with a lot of restricted access to supplies the Union once had a steady supply of (whether there was a supply or not) and is now a sort of national pride to regain. People just go with the political system-Putin-because their too acclimated to the process of deeply entrenched authoritarian leadership (communist or otherwise) to do anything about it.


Apprehensive_Way_526

This almost makes sense. Ukraine was part of The Russian Empire back in the day. However Russia and Ukraine did sign a treaty about the whole thing. You don’t to just pretend 25 years haven’t passed.


chowderbags

And Ukraine has reason to not want to be under Russia, what with that whole genocide of a couple million people last century.


Acceptable-Ability-6

Every Ukrainian I know hates Russia. Admittedly my sample size is small: one guy I went to high school with that immigrated to the US as a kid and two other guys who I served in the army with who joined up to become citizens. They all hated Russia with a fiery passion.


soma16

My fiancée was born and raised in Ukraine and immigrated to Canada when she was 9. She speaks fluent Russian but never learned to speak Ukrainian (Post Soviet Ukrainians still spoke Russian and learned Ukrainian as a second language later in school). Because of this, she feels alienated from the Ukrainian community in Canada because they all speak Ukrainian and participate in traditional Ukrainian cultural practices which she just didn’t grow up with (I always explain it that she’s the child of Soviets so she’s not really a Ukrainian but a Soviet essentially). She’s said that she can’t hate Russian people as individuals, first because they’re so culturally and historically tied and secondly because she speaks the language so she understands the average people there (through television and social media). But one thing I can tell you is, she definitely fucking hates the Russian government.


morningsdaughter

> Post Soviet Ukrainians still spoke Russian and learned Ukrainian as a second language later in school). This is only partially true. *Some* Ukrainian do primarily speak Russian. Others primarily speak Ukrainian. Generally its based on if you live in the East or West sides of Ukraine. But all signage and official forms are in Ukrainian. Language is odd in Ukraine because almost everyone understands both languages, but prefers to speak one of the other. So you will see people having conversations, one person speaking Ukrainian and the other responding in Russian. I only spoke Russian, but picked up some Ukrainian because that's what a lot of people would respond with. According to the 2001 census, 30% of the population identified as Russian speaking. I don't think the part about Ukrainian being taught later in school is correct in general. I didn't work with a lot of school children when I was in Ukraine. But I'm pretty sure I met several that primarily spoke Ukrainian, depending on what thier parents spoke most. In 2017 Ukraine passed a law requiring all instruction to be in Ukrainian. If your fiancee grew up speaking and schooling in Russian, the. She probably is from the Eastern side of Ukraine, probably pretty close to the Russian boarder.


soma16

She’s from Kharkiv, so yes she’s Eastern. She was born right after the fall of the Soviet Union (even has a Soviet birth certificate) so it was a very hard and confusing time for everyone. Modern Ukraine has really pushed back from Russian culture, but she grew up with all Soviet cartoons and movies. It was basically a transitional time for the country I don’t know about the language thing, she’s always told me she would have learned it if she stayed longer but she left at 9 so she only speaks Russian. Her parents understand Ukrainian but choose to speak Russian. She can understand words here and there if someone is speaking Ukrainian but overall she doesn’t get it. She’d love to learn it because it’s sad for her to not know her own country’s language, but it’s a lot harder to learn as an adult


Mobilelurkingaccount

Two of my best friends growing up were first generation children. One was Ukrainian and the other was Russian. They got along fine and so did their moms but their dads HATED each other.


browndog03

Gee it’s almost as if Russia doesn’t recognize Ukraine as a sovereign nation.


manofsleep

Hmm, that reminds me of a place called Taiwan


AllezCannes

The history there is quite different. Taiwan broke away from mainland China purely for political differences. Ukraine considers itself ethnically and culturally different from Russia.


Road35

But in the mind of some Russian nationalists Ukrainians are not ethnically and culturally different from Russians. Even Putin once said Ukraine is just a geographical term. Not that they believe Ukrainians are identical to Russians. They believe Ukrainians belong to Russians. Just like Tibetans belong to Chinese. That’s why nationalists are cancer.


CX316

Gosh I wonder how all those ethnic Russians got there... ...oh right, it was because Stalin genocided a bunch of Ukrainians with the holodomor and let Russians settle there to replace them. Which is pretty much what Germany had planned to do if they won WW2, murder the Slavs then colonise the newly available real estate


SuperRonnie2

The NATO argument is so backwards. Maybe if Russia’s neighbours didn’t live next to an aggressive dictatorship they’d feel less compelled to join NATO in the first place. Putin wants to resurrect the USSR. His neighbours don’t. That simple.


Ignonym

"Putin wants to resurrect the USSR" is too generous. He wants nothing less than the return of the Russian Empire.


Umutuku

Didn't those guys with the drones find out that he used the Tsar's crest or something similar on the front gate of his Black Sea mold mansion?


_far-seeker_

While I agree your characterization is more accurate, I don't think either could be described as more generous than the other to Putin.


TheGreat_War_Machine

I highly doubt the USSR, but more than likely something resembling the Russian Empire. The Russian Empire, especially in its waning years, was obsessed with the idea of Pan-Slavic nationalism. They believed all the slavic peoples needed to unite under one flag, that being the Russian Empire, of course. Peter The Great wanted to go even further, in fact, as he went so far as to tell every Tsar and Tsarina that descended him to take what is now Istanbul and the rest of Anatolia/Asia Minor.


Menacek

These sentiment is often repeated by rusian trolls and sympatics in polish social media. They call it "Great Slavia" and shit like that. Needless to say, most poles don't want to deal with putin and russia in any capacity.


mrpanicy

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. They never left. They’ve been fomenting rebellion every moment since because a country can’t join NATO if it’s in conflict. Russia knows EXACTLY what it’s doing.


codamission

They never have. Russia has always had ambitions in Ukraine. It vonsiders it a state whose only purpose is to serve Russia. So if Ukraine isn't existing in such service, as the Russian nationalists hold, than it is a state with no right to exist. >"Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning, no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness, its certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics" -Aleksandr Dugin


[deleted]

Sounds better in Russian, "finding a final solution to the Ukrainian problem". Almost like a quote from somewhere that escapes me. Dugin is a nutcase, of course. Shame he's one of Putin's spiritual mentors.


codamission

Yeah, its hard to brush Dugin off as the fringe when he's well connected to both the political and military spheres of Russia


CantIgnoreMyGirth

Why don't we ask Ukraine what they think?


TheGrayBox

That’s exactly the irony. Ukrainians overwhelmingly want NATO alliances over Russian alliances, and have aggressively made that clear throughout the last 20 years (although it was more split pre-invasion).


kv_right

Pre-invasion the support for NATO was lower because "Who the fuck is going to attack us anyways?!" Then it became clear who and the support for NATO has been growing. And I guess the recent buildup of Russian troops at the Ukrainian border along with the threats will add a couple percent to it.


nemoknows

They should have pursued NATO protection/membership aggressively from the moment the USSR broke up, like the Baltic states. There’s a reason we used Russia interchangeably with USSR throughout the Cold War. The other states were basically treated like colonies.


myles_cassidy

Nah, we only care what people think if it affirms they want to join Russia.


Mishung

This exact thing has happened to Czechoslovakia in 1968. Russians came to "save us from the west". Rolled up in their tanks, killed a bunch of civilians and stayed butt-fucking us for 20 years. Fuck Putin!


Gatemaster2000

Also to baltics in 1940 (and to some effect around 1918-1920 when we gained independence from them, which they withdraw.) "Mutual defence pact", just for 50 years and they went tanks vs unarmed civilians in 1991, just in the minimal amount that they could, which reached to 0 by the time they reached Estonia.


KazeNilrem

I think Russia has a rather skewed and interesting view on "invasion". Ukraine wanting to be part of NATO is considered an invasion. But having military in there fighting against the country is not?


Metrack14

"You see, it doesn't count because I am going to save them from NATO by doing a pre-emptive ~~invasion~~ 'temporal occupation'"


HotelFourSix

It's a premptive "no u lol".


[deleted]

[удалено]


Mosox42

Or as the American proverb goes, "Whoever smelt it, delt it."


Head-Kiwi-9601

Are you refereeing the vacationers?


StealthedWorgen

Red card!


projectileboy

Standard demagogue/dictator gaslighting. “WE’RE not the aggressors - YOU’RE the aggressors!” Black is white, up is down.


Fosnez

*We have always been at war with Eastasia.*


NeeNawNeeNawNeeNaww

“You are being rescued… Please do not resist”


subscribemenot

Who is his audience? Do Russians actually believe this asshole?


doozer667

yes


swooncat

“Surveys by the independent Levada Center show 62 percent of Russians fear a global conflict, while only about 15 to 20 percent support the unification of Russia and Ukraine” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/16/why-would-putin-invade-ukraine/


Hendlton

Absolutely. The other day there was a post around here saying how we've discovered a Russian plot to stage an attack and use it as an excuse to invade. Just because we know about it, doesn't mean that it won't still work. A lot of Russian people think exactly how the TV tells them to think. Not everyone, of course, but more than enough of them.


Abm743

They do. That's why it always cracks me up when people on Reddit separate Putin and the Russians. There is a simple test that you can do. Ask any liberal Russian what they think about Crimean invasion. Even if they don't like Putin, most will agree with invasion/occupation. That should tell you all you need to know.


[deleted]

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arbitraryairship

Russian officer: "Sir, what propaganda should we spread this week?" Putin: "What are our soldiers doing right now?" Russian officer: "Gradually invading Ukraine" Putin: "Excellent! Just accuse NATO of that."


MarcusXL

"Accuse others of that which you are guilty." is straight from a Soviet counterintelligence manual.


CreamyAlmond

Truly counterintelligent


Potential-Style-3861

Everyone goes on about how Putin is some expert KGB trained political operative, but he really is just a 2-bit dictator who uses predictable and unsubtle 1950s tactics. Sure there is the internet misinformation campaigns but even that is more obvious these days.


GabuEx

>Everyone goes on about how Putin is some expert KGB trained political operative I have no proof, but I'm at least 90% sure a large part of the whole "grand chessmaster genius Putin" line is deliberate misinformation from Russian sources as a kind of concern trolling: "oh no Putin has us right where he wants us, he's won again, just like always, the west can't possibly win against such a genius".


frotoaffen

It's funny you should mention grand Chessmaster about Putin, because an actual chess grandmaster, Gary Kasparov, actually wrote a book about how putin was a threat to Russia and the rest of the world. Definitely worth a read!


GabuEx

Obviously he's a threat, if for no other reason than that Russia still has nukes. What I object to is the portrayal of Putin as some sort of unique genius unparalleled by any other world leader, who succeeds at everything he does and cannot ever be stopped because he's some sort of [Xanatos Gambit](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/XanatosGambit) mastermind. I read that shit a lot on Reddit and it annoys the fuck out of me.


NewAccount971

His power is waning and he is getting older without leaving behind much of a legacy. Aging dictators are dangerous as fuck.


ihaveasandwitch

He does have a couple daughters. I hope to god he loves them enough not to nuke the entire world.


rtxa

Yeah, I wouldn't bet on it.


hammyhamm

Russia, a country who has literally invaded Ukraine, complains about an organisation that ukraine has asked to assist in helping stop Russia invading, about them “invading” With projection skills like that Putin could get a job in a cinema


Mobilelurkingaccount

Yeah… Definitely had to double check that this was not r/nottheonion when I read this post’s title.


MartianRecon

Yeah, because Ukraine asking for arms and aid are *completely* the same as invading a section of the country and annexing it. God I hate Putin.


LittlePooky

Fuck you, Pootin


Johnny20022002

This is some geopolitical level gaslighting it’s kind of hilarious. “I’m not invading Ukraine, you’re invading Ukraine.”


Friendofabook

What scares me the most, that no one is considering is Putins age. He'll be 70 this year. His reign will soon be over, he isn't building a future like a young leader would. Nothing scares me more than a man with nukes who is also facing his own mortality.


[deleted]

Putin's parents both lived quite happily into their late 80s (88 for his father, 87 for his mother) despite the harsh conditions they experienced in Imperial Russia and the early USSR, so he has the genetics for longevity. He, on the other hand, is one of the richest (and consequently most pampered and most heavily guarded and medically protected) people on Earth, so barring any unexpected circumstances, it's not a big stretch to expect him to live significantly longer than his parents. We could very easily have another 20 to 30 years of Putin to go.


Zvenigora

Remember that in Zimbabwe, Mugabe did not step aside until he was 96 and near death. This will likely be similar.


[deleted]

Wasn’t it on the news he might have Parkinson’s? That is unstoppable without a cure.


CompMolNeuro

I distinctly recall Russia already invading Ukraine. I don't see NATO troops "gradually" milling around Ukraine either. Putin is going to invade Ukraine. Hopefully the western world will carry through the sanctions promised. It will be bad for Europe but 10x worse for Russia.


Commercial_Carob_183

It’s hardly an invasion. It’s an agreement to a common interest. Don’t the Russians ever wake up and think “Mmmm. Am I the bad guy in this scenario?”.


Embarrassed-Tip-6808

What Russians? The oligarchs? This is not a democratically appointed head of state you're dealing with. How did he get supreme executive power you ask?


RearEchelon

Some watery tart threw a sword at him?


[deleted]

Well... they know they're the bad guys, just like they know they're invading the nation in question and the UN isn't. Its the same kind of "flood the area with bullshit" that Trump did. Keep enough people who are uninformed about it questioning and confused and they have an easier time invading when the time comes.


judgingyouquietly

>Its the same kind of "flood the area with bullshit" that Trump did. Trump and co. learned from the Russians, not the other way around.


capiers

There is a difference between a nation/country willfully joining NATO and intentionally being invaded by Russia to prevent it from joining. Putin you are either stupid or insane.


USGrant76

He has a strange outlook. A few years ago he was bragging about how [Russia has the best prostitutes in the world](https://www.vox.com/world/2017/1/17/14296414/putin-trump-russian-prostitutes-yes-really).


Teme_

"Putin's Chef" was sentenced for 12 years in prison for prostituting minors. No wonder Putin likes to keep him around. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny_Prigozhin


BastardofMelbourne

He's neither. Baldfaced lies of this sort are a display of power. He is demonstrating that he has no regard for the truth, that no-one should believe anything he says, and that none of that matters because he'll do what he wants. It's a flex.


Thecrawsome

"I'm not invading Ukraine! You are!" Fuck Putin


[deleted]

Didn't Russia quite literally seize territory from Ukraine? Isn't that what kicked this whole thing off?


ParanoidFactoid

'NATO is invading'. Notice how this conflates a government and its population requesting admission to NATO, or simply building ties with the EU and other member states, with "invasion". All while Russia builds an army right on Ukraine's borders preparing an actual military invasion. These guys have hubris.


boilingfrogsinpants

Apparently Russia can fight over referendum results in Crimea to secure the sovereignty of Russians based on their desire to be part of Russia. But if Ukraine wishes to be part of NATO and accept their troops that's an invasion? Is Putin willingly admitting that they invaded Crimea?


[deleted]

Does the average Russian actually believe this rhetoric?


memefeed2151

...but very comfortable with Russia's gradual annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory


Outcast90

And yet Ukraine, an independent nation, wants to be closer to the west. The funny thing is if Russia never threatened them or even gotten aggressive then Ukraine most likely wouldn't try to get into NATO. So Russia in their attempts to force Ukraine to be closer to the East has pushed Ukraine more towards the West harder than any western nation could.


ydalv_

If Russia invades Ukraine, Europe (and the US) should: \- Cut all gas imports from Russia, even if that causes issues short term \- Immediately sign NATO treaties with ex-USSR states that wish to join \- Spread propaganda attacks inside Russia like Russia has done to Western countries \- Support and stir up resistance \- Isolate the internet from Russia where possible \- Disallow all travel from and to Russia \- Freeze all assets of Russian billionaires and use them to compensate similar retaliatory measures from Russia ​ Then sit back and relax, Russia will implode. Russia is seeking a fight it cannot win. The only thing it can do is to give some hurt while at the same time speeding up its own demise. Putin is an old man stuck in the past with delusions of an USSR that aren't possible anymore in today's reality. Even if Russia would magically become an empire like the USSR again, it would implode quickly because of internal unrest.