Current Events > "Russia is just defending itself"

(+) Yeah! (+)

BurmesePenguin posted...

A lot of self-described socialists think this drivel.

Yazarogi posted...

Look at the picture again.

Right. National Socialists

averagejoel posted...

recognizing that russia was threatened by nato encroachment is not equivalent to thinking they're justified in invading ukraine

does it really matter what a hypernationalistic authoritarian dictator feels threatened by? who gives a fuck?

If your knee-jerk response to the nation currently involved in an invasion and committing verified war crimes on a broad scale is sure, thats bad, but MURICA bad too do the world a favor and shut the fuck up forever.

MelbuFrahma4 posted...

Why do people constantly switch between Russia is a joke country their weapons are decades old they have no shot. To stuff like OP where they are this big bear and Ukraine is the small country with no shot.

Which is it. Russia is a joke country and Putin is dying of cancer and pooped himself. Or Russia is actually a strong country.

lol wtf is this post. the people who are making shitty political cartoons about how pro-Ukrainian sentiments are just propaganda are not the same people who are claiming Russia is actually a strong country. nobody is switching between anything.

VeggetaX posted...

Let's see you explain it then.

What's there to explain? It's straightforward.

And saying Russia is threatened by NATO expansion is like saying an abusive husband is threatened by their partner calling the cops.

(The abused partner being the ex-soviet nations in this analogy)

ROBANN_88 posted...

And saying Russia is threatened by NATO expansion is like saying an abusive husband is threatened by their partner calling the cops.

(The abused partner being the ex-soviet nations in this analogy)

exactly

ROBANN_88 posted...

And saying Russia is threatened by NATO expansion is like saying an abusive husband is threatened by their partner calling the cops.

(The abused partner being the ex-soviet nations in this analogy)

yeah, NATO is a defensive pact. The entire reason it even exists is because of Russias proven track record of aggression against its smaller neighbors

anyone defending Russia at this point is sus AF

ChocoboMogALT posted...

Some people grow up thinking America = heroes.
Those people learn America does bad things (sometimes).
Those people think, "if America does bad things sometimes, it must be bad all the time!"
Then they think, "if America is bad, its enemies (like China and Russia) must be the good guys!"

This is an awful logic to believe by and I'm scared for anyone whose willing to die on a hill for it.

DoesntMatter posted...

lol wtf is this post. the people who are making shitty political cartoons about how pro-Ukrainian sentiments are just propaganda are not the same people who are claiming Russia is actually a strong country. nobody is switching between anything.

I just thought it was odd Ukraine was being portrayed as this little guy with a spear. And US is in corner watching. When US just agreed to send them funding like last week.

MelbuFrahma4 posted...

I just thought it was odd Ukraine was being portrayed as this little guy with a spear. And US is in corner watching. When US just agreed to send them funding like last week.

pro-nationalism propaganda doesn't usually make much sense

Zikten posted...

None of this explains why Ukraine deserves to be destroyed. According to Russia, America did bad stuff and somehow that forced Russia into murdering Ukrainians

Why didn't Russia attack America? Its like having someone insult you and then you turn around punch a random person that wasn't talking to you

Russia feels the current Ukraine supports America. Ukraine's previous president was pro-Russia; Russia wanted them to keep electing pro-Russian leaders.

Hoodroar posted...

Russia feels the current Ukraine supports America. Ukraine's previous president was pro-Russia; Russia wanted them to keep electing pro-Russian leaders.

Russia wanted them to keep electing corrupt cronies that would keep Ukraine weak and floundering, so to make Russia look better in contrast.

I don't know what conservatives you claim to think Russia are the good guys in this situation because the ones around here, and I am around some very extreme Trump supporters, hate Russia, and Putin, and wish the USA would just go to war with them lol.

Does Trump still think Putin is a "genius" for launching the invasion or has he rescinded that yet?

kinetika_ posted...

I don't know what conservatives you claim to think Russia are the good guys in this situation because the ones around here, and I am around some very extreme Trump supporters, hate Russia, and Putin, and wish the USA would just go to war with them lol.

Well some do support Putin. Tucker Carlson supports Putin. He has literally flat out stated it on his show multiple times

And there are people at MAGA rallies wearing this shirt

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/6/4/AABd5gAAECRI.jpg

Zikten posted...

Well some do support Putin. Tucker Carlson supports Putin. He has literally flat out stated it on his show multiple times

And there are people at MAGA rallies wearing this shirt

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/6/4/AABd5gAAECRI.jpg

wow!! Some patriots lol

cjsdowg posted...

What are you talking about. People on the right have been the people defending Russia.

Yeah its definitely a right-wing thing.

However, there are also a lot of far-left people who are basically taking Russia's side because their brains have melted and just associate "left" with "America bad".

the_pika posted...

wow!! Some patriots lol

Well there is a good chance those 2 are dead now. I'd not be surprised if Covid got them. I think that picture has been floating around for a year

VeggetaX posted...

This is an awful logic to believe by and I'm scared for anyone whose willing to die on a hill for it.

Have you never met tankies before?

averagejoel posted...

recognizing that russia was threatened by nato encroachment is not equivalent to thinking they're justified in invading ukraine

This is incredibly difficult for people to comprehend for some reason. There's a simple minded, reflexive response where if you think Russia is provoked by NATO, it means you're in favor of Russian destruction of Ukraine. It's absurd that people can't separate the two concepts. State capitalist propaganda has been wildly successful.

I dont know about some of yall. This war has absolutely fuck-nothing to do with American hegemony.

The propaganda is thinking that NATo is provoking Russia rather than thinking Russia is provoking its neighbours to run towards NATO.

Beginning to think @Kakapo was right about joel

mustachedmystic posted...

I dont know about some of yall. This war has absolutely fuck-nothing to do with American hegemony.

The issue is that Putin claims it does. Since the war started, he has blamed America for the invasion

>claims to be scared of NATO
>shows why NATO was created in the first place

AloneIBreak posted...

This is incredibly difficult for people to comprehend for some reason. There's a simple minded, reflexive response where if you think Russia is provoked by NATO, it means you're in favor of Russian destruction of Ukraine. It's absurd that people can't separate the two concepts. State capitalist propaganda has been wildly successful.

Pretty much. Arguing about politics on gamefaqs of all places is beyond pointless. These people are indoctrinated at this point.

Zikten posted...

The issue is that Putin claims it does. Since the war started, he has blamed America for the invasion

And, so what? What if he blamed it on cholesterol, or pit bulls?

Zikten posted...

Well some do support Putin. Tucker Carlson supports Putin. He has literally flat out stated it on his show multiple times

And there are people at MAGA rallies wearing this shirt

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/6/4/AABd5gAAECRI.jpg

Definitely have appliances on their front porch.

mustachedmystic posted...

And, so what? What if he blamed it on cholesterol, or pit bulls?

I'm just saying, that's why it comes up in conversations. It is Russia's official reason for the war

ROBANN_88 posted...

And saying Russia is threatened by NATO expansion is like saying an abusive husband is threatened by their partner calling the cops.

(The abused partner being the ex-soviet nations in this analogy)

this is an extremely naive view of nato

Zikten posted...

I'm just saying, that's why it comes up in conversations. It is Russia's official reason for the war

I thought it was "denazification". Oh wait it changes every month.

averagejoel posted...

this is an extremely naive view of nato

how so?
i can almost guarantee the Baltics joined NATO to secure independance from Russia.
the reason Sweden and Finland are currently in the process of joining NATO is cause Russia is being a dick

Oh right I forgot Joel is one of the NATO bad people who can never explain why

averagejoel posted...

recognizing that russia was threatened by nato encroachment is not equivalent to thinking they're justified in invading ukraine

Sounds totally legit.

The argument I'm seeing here by certain people is that Russia is just having a "understandable" reaction from how they've been treated.

thronedfire2 posted...

Oh right I forgot Joel is one of the NATO bad people who can never explain why

Murica bad
Not-Murica good
Murica in NATO
NATO bad
Russia not-Murica
Russia good

Zikten posted...

Well there is a good chance those 2 are dead now. I'd not be surprised if Covid got them. I think that picture has been floating around for a year

they probably shoved bleach up their buttholes

So has anybody pointed out yet that Russia invading and annexing parts of Georgia in 2008 and stealing Crimea in 2014 is justification enough for wanting to join a defensive alliance?

These little "it's America's/NATOs fault" posts only ever exist in the vacuum of a timeless world where we can't look back over the last couple of decades and explicitly point to active Russian aggression.

Propagandists who do factor in Russia's actions can at best point to the US in the Middle East and try to make the case that they too should have the right to completely ruin a country, but that's not their stated justification for invasion.

The simple reality here is that every single former USSR country that has broken away from Russia has done far better in pivoting towards Europe then they have pivoting towards russia, and no amount of Putin's little tantrums and wanting to be the next Peter the Great is going to change that fact.

The problem with talking about NATO and the 'western hegemony' is people pretending there isn't a kind of Russian hegemony at play here.

ROBANN_88 posted...

Looking outside the US, there's been some socialists on the Russian side
Here in Sweden, the Left Party was the only ones voting against sending aid to Ukraine, and chose to abstain voting in the EU resolution for condemning Russias attack, and they're still anti-NATO

I think you know very well that is a pretty unfair characterization of the Left Party to imply that they would be pro Russia because of the (very temporary) posturing against sending weapons to Ukraine. They're about as opposed to Russia as large parts of the Swedish Parliament. There are elements who were very snuggled up to Russia and then suddenly pretended like nothing, though. These are mostly either SD people or lobbyists with strong ties to various right bloc parties.

That said, there are absolutely various folks in leftist groups who think that anyone who opposes the US must be good since US imperialism bad. Which is a really dumb baby take.
Heck, I agree with you that for former Soviet states like the Baltics, it's pretty easy to see that they would view NATO membership as an anti-imperialist project, since they're most immediately concerned with protection from Russian imperialism. That, on the other hand, doesn't mean that NATO in itself is necessarily a force for good. It's still an organization led by the US serving the interests of the US military industrial complex.

the Social Democrats and V were staunchly anti-NATO for even months after the invasion...up until they realised it wasn't politically beneficial.
and as soon as Turkey started to push back they went right back to their "i told you we shouldn't have bid to join it" rhetoric.
when "We will never join NATO as long as i sit on this parliamnent" no longer got them votes, they flipped to "me sitting here is instrumental to the NATO process" and i suspect they're ready to flip again at a moments notice if they think it will benefit them

scar_the_1 posted...

These are mostly either SD people or lobbyists with strong ties to various right bloc parties.

https://www.europaportalen.se/2022/06/undersokning-mest-och-rysslandskritiska-i-eu-parlamentet

"SD were the most critical party, while V is the least critical against Russia"

thronedfire2 posted...

Oh right I forgot Joel is one of the NATO bad people who can never explain why

he's always been complete garbage

BurmesePenguin posted...

A lot of self-described socialists think this drivel.

There is a lot of strange overlap between tankies and the far-right concerning Russia

hell, lots of MAGAs will blindly defend Russia and not even see the irony of supporting a man who wants to restore the glory of the Soviet Union

As obnoxious tankies are, there are more right wing Russia/Putin simps. The Republican party do it and actually have power in this country. I don't think it's necessarily fair to compare tankies to them even if tankies are also awful.

I'll put money in that this cartoon was drawn by someone who leans right in American politics.