Ted Cruz: if you want to re-assemble the Soviet Union, the 1st & most important piece is Ukraine. Putin has wanted to invade Ukraine for a long time

[basquebromance]

After Putin's defeat, it is important to reach out to the Russian opposition, to help them in the process of Russia's transition to democracy after stopping "Putin's imperialism" on the ground

 

[Polishprince]

Who is to say that Russia wants to be a democracy? Maybe they would rather transition back to a czardom instead?

 

[JohnDB]

After Putin's defeat, it is important to reach out to the Russian opposition, to help them in the process of Russia's transition to democracy after stopping "Putin's imperialism" on the ground

Russia does not need to be a democracy and cannot be successful as one.

The only intelligent Russians have left already....the rest stayed and are subject to the propaganda campaigns of the ones in charge. On the morality scale Russians in general don't have much in the way of altruistic endeavors. Which is an absolute must for democracy to flourish.
(As average Americans lose their altruism and morality Democracy is becoming increasingly untenable)

Corruption is over the top in Russia....you won't get a free, fair election. Putin's last political opponents all died before they could even get on the ballot except for one....and after he lost Putin had him charged with a crime and executed.

You can get them a representative form of government. (Republic) and they will do better. But the small towns are empty anymore. Nobody lives in them anymore. Pollution has made the drinking water unsafe and the lack of infrastructure (power, utilities and etc) has made life exceptionally difficult.

 

[krichton]

You cannot change the government that easily unless there are very strong democratic factions within the government, which I don't believe there is at all. Outside of that possibility America and it's allies would need to occupy the country, and that's not going to happen.

 

[JohnDB]

After Putin's defeat, it is important to reach out to the Russian opposition, to help them in the process of Russia's transition to democracy after stopping "Putin's imperialism" on the ground

I'm hoping in futility that Russia actually exists after this is over. Russian territorial Oligarchs are all starting or have started their own PMCs. That's not a good sign.

The Ruble is on life support and Russia has spent roughly 75% of its reserves supporting it and purchasing weapons in the past 14 months. The most severe sanctions just went into effect so their economy is running on life support at the moment. And if somehow Russia actually destroyed Ukraine's army (unlikely) the continued global sanctions and seizures of Russian assets will do them in.

The whole world is literally against them.

Currently the territorial Oligarchs are all building up their PMCs. If and when Crimea is lost so is Putin....and chaos will be the result.

China will not hesitate to make gains off of seizing Russian assets. Same with Chechnya.

Kaliningrad? (Yet another reason why fearing NATO is a joke) I see them being absorbed into Poland under duress. They won't survive otherwise.

 

[Lord Long Rod]

Putin does not want the Muslim CIS states.

 

[JohnDB]

Putin does not want the Muslim CIS states.

Neither do the average Russian citizens either....but Russia is so short on people that they don't have much of a choice in the matter. (Russians are extremely racist).

 

[sartre play]

Russia can be what ever it wants,
Not our business.
Attacking & killing civilians in land grab
Do not support that.

 

[g5000]

Who is to say that Russia wants to be a democracy? Maybe they would rather transition back to a czardom instead?

Putin thinks he's Peter the Great.

 

[22lcidw]

Putin does not want the Muslim CIS states.

What Russia needs is access. Ukraine provides access. The Muslim states give them that to.

 

[toomuchtime_]

Who is to say that Russia wants to be a democracy? Maybe they would rather transition back to a czardom instead?

How can you tell what "Russia wants" if its not a democracy?

 

[Litwin]

After Putin's defeat, it is important to reach out to the Russian opposition, to help them in the process of Russia's transition to democracy after stopping "Putin's imperialism" on the ground

Moscow horde´s war record :-

1856 defeated by Britain and France

1905 defeated by Japan

1917 defeated by Germany

1920 defeated by Poland, Finland, Estonia and all Baltic states

1939 defeated by Finland

1969 defeated by China

1989 defeated by Afghanistan

1989 defeated in the Cold War.

1996 defeated by Chechnya

2022 defeated by Ukraine

WW2 won USA/Britain , meanwhile Stalin's officers were shot or sent to the Gulags. Millions went to the Gulags, including Solzhenitsyn

Moscow's only victories come from invading smaller countries :-

a) Hungary 1956

b) Czechoslovakia 1968

c) Moldova 1992

d) Georgia 2008

 

[zaangalewa]

Russia can be what ever it wants ...

... as long as this is in the interest of Putin and his criminal gang and every Russian is ready to sacrifice the own children for their might and money.

 

[zaangalewa]

Putin thinks he's Peter the Great.

Putin thinks? If so: Why did he start his totally stupid, senseless and criminal war on Europe in the Ukraine?

 

[José]

Originally posted by zaangalewa
Putin thinks? If so: Why did he start his totally stupid, senseless and criminal war on Europe in the Ukraine?

After 3 decades begging NATO to stop threatening her borders and dangling the EU's economic carrot in front of Ukraine (utterly destabilizing the country by alienating its large russian speaking population, essentially dividing the country and turning Ukraine against itself), Russia finally came to the conclusion that it was time to shut up and let the russian bombs do the talking.

 

[toomuchtime_]

After 3 decades begging NATO to stop threatening her borders and dangling the EU's economic carrot in front of Ukraine (utterly destabilizing the country by alienating its large russian speaking population, essentially dividing the country and turning Ukraine against itself), Russia finally came to the conclusion that it was time to shut up and let the russian bombs do the talking.

So you finally acknowledge there were no real threats to Russia's security and the invasion had no other purpose than to secure Russian control of Ukraine.

 

[José]

Originally posted by toomuchtime
So you finally acknowledge there were no real threats to Russia's security and the invasion had no other purpose than to secure Russian control of Ukraine.

The West's cavalier approach towards post-soviet Russia is well known and debated ad nauseam here and everywhere (NATO expansion, etc, etc...).

What is much less talked about is the West's cavalier approach towards Ukraine itself.

Dangling the economic carrot of the European Union in front of Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia is not a big deal because those nations are much more ethnically, nationally and linguistically cohese.

But dangling the economic carrot of the EU in front of countries like Ukraine and Belarus is criminal because you will inevitably polarize and eventually destabilize the fragile ethnic-linguistic balance of those two nations.

 

[toomuchtime_]

The West's cavalier approach towards post-soviet Russia is well known and debated ad nauseam here and everywhere (NATO expansion, etc, etc...).

What is much less talked about is the West's cavalier approach towards Ukraine itself.

Dangling the economic carrot of the European Union in front of Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia is not a big deal because those nations are much more ethnically, nationally and linguistically cohese.

But dangling the economic carrot of the EU in front of countries like Ukraine and Belarus is criminal because you will inevitably polarize and eventually destabilize the fragile ethnic-linguistic balance of those two nations.

Again, you are saying Russia invaded Ukraine to secure control of the country, which may sound reasonable in your language, gobbledygook, but in English it means Russian imperialism.

 

[JohnDB]

After 3 decades begging NATO to stop threatening her borders and dangling the EU's economic carrot in front of Ukraine (utterly destabilizing the country by alienating its large russian speaking population, essentially dividing the country and turning Ukraine against itself), Russia finally came to the conclusion that it was time to shut up and let the russian bombs do the talking.

And what about Kaliningrad?

Ever look at its location?

It's a tiny little country.
NATO has not and doesn't want to make it NATO or part of the EU or anything.

I guess that this part of Russia is so small everyone forgets about them.

And Russia has had NATO members on its borders for years. It's lying....you can tell because their lips are moving.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

Who is to say that Russia wants to be a democracy? Maybe they would rather transition back to a czardom instead?

Putin Is Our Strongest Hope Against the Globalist Dark Ages

Yeltsin was tricked into adopting the decadent Postmodern forms of democracy and Capitalism. Putin has been trying to bring Russia back from that disaster. So no more Mr. Nice Guy.