JB and the Puppeteer thing got me interested to look a few things up to validate what I have read before. All the anti Putin stuff is interesting, but it isn’t a joke.
It’s wrong headed for Euros or Americans I think to wish failure on them. Under his watch the economy was built up, Russian middle class developed and thanks to oil prices and a quasi capitalist system. It grew. They borrowed money, etc.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin
He doesn’t have that much impact or control really. The media skews it all. The ex KGB guy isn’t a saint, neither is Merkel, May, Macron, or even Assad they are all politicians. At least he isn’t Chavez, or Kin jung goofball shooting rockets off or starving people. Russia under his leadership has come back to be economically viable as a country since the USSR fell apart. They have self sufficiency, and it’s best they become part of the world, not isolated. (I joke about the US needs to be isolated, but its more unrealistic joking on my part than anything as the globalism trade thing isnt stopping. The trade deficits need balancing though.)
So Can you blame them? Putin took over duly elected 10 years after all the 1990 aimless “what do we do now” mess and transition from failed communism with former eastern blocks countries went their own ways with the separations of former USSR, and the Crimean peninsula Black Sea Fleets facilities was under lease from Ukraine for 20 years. (2017 due date to expire) Maybe his election was crooked, who knows. But if you think why things occured its pretty simple and strategically he needs ports in Crimea on the Black Sea to exit the southern landlocked Russian territory through Turkey and more importantly Naval bases in Syria to protect encroachment from the west, right?
This whole world condemnation of the 2014 annex of Crimea, is pretty skewed by western media imo. The entire history of the peninsula has been a mess with so many changes (read about it)
“In 1994, the legal status of Crimea as part of Ukraine was backed up by Russia, who pledged to uphold the territorial integrity of Ukraine in a
memorandum signed in 1994, also signed by the US and UK.”
“Following the ratification of the May 1997 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership on friendship and division of the
Black Sea Fleet, international tensions slowly eased off. With the treaty,
Moscow recognized Ukraine's borders and territorial integrity, and accepted Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea and Sevastopol.
[14]:600 In a separate agreement, Russia was to receive 80 percent of the Black Sea Fleet and use of the military facilities in Sevastopol on a 20-year
lease.
[14]:600”
“In 2006,
protests broke out on the peninsula after
U.S. Marines[44] arrived at the Crimean city of
Feodosiya to take part in the Sea Breeze 2006
Ukraine-
NATO military exercise. Protesters greeted the marines with barricades and slogans bearing "Occupiers go home!" and a couple of days later, the
Crimean parliament declared Crimea a "NATO-free territory." After several days of protest, the U.S. Marines withdrew from the peninsula.
[45]”.
Why Nato meddling anyway?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Crimea
and there was a vote to allow Russian control, that evidently no western countries attended. Some Maxine Waters oversight, since she is intelligent, lol. So Why not? Where were western europeans? I’d say thats poor leadership. There are legions of pro russian people living in the Ukraine, speaking russian in addition to pro Ukrainian factions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...s-complicated-history/?utm_term=.cda8bba0c2df
I am surprised that Russia let loose of their full control in the first place as its the only southern sea port access. They rely on Turkey to pass through Istanbul to the mediterranean. Syria naval bases helps balance that power and gives them access to the mediterranean. It makes sense to me.
http://cimsec.org/mediterranean-driving-russias-strategic-decisions-since-1676/30070
As far as hackers and meddling in the election, who knows. Putin directed? All we read and see is what all the factions of govt and under informed news outlets propaganda news they want us to hear.
Afterall, the US needs enemies to keep the military industrial complex and Lockheed lobbists that Comey worked for going. Lol.
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-sanctions-u-s--treasury-warning-bonds-congress/29015355.html
The newest sanctions, based on the findings to me are questionable as we now learn about all the upper level corrupt US intelligence agencies, and the latest scandal?
