Russia has no allies. Every single 'compatible' nation ran the hell away from them as soon as it become marginally possible in late 80s, and in typical russian victim fashion west and US specifically is to blame.
Just look at what they are doing to their supposed brothers in Ukraine, for one old man's greed and twisted view on reality and his legacy, 0 other reasons. This is how they treat everybody, including other russians.
What they have are temporarily aligned forces who see some benefit in such action, nothing more. Most of them would take over russian territory and its mineral riches without blinking an eye if they could.
Well this is just sad propaganda. Zelensky (and others) had publicly admitted to sabotaging deescalation agreements.
You don't want to fall for "nothing happened in Donbas before 22" bs.
It is really such a weird situation. Western and Ukrainian politicians had publicly stated they were actually going for a fight for a long time, but we still see people doing wired moral posturing.
I am not from the west, but rather from one of those countries russia/soviet union (but lets be honest here, it was always good old russia at its core and power) oppressed and destroyed over 4 decades during cold war, to have a nuclear battlefield with western Europe.
I know what I talk about when I bash russia and its society, I saw them destroy soul of not only my own nation but everything around, and legacy of that period is still doing massive damage back home. They have absolutely nothing in common with western values, rather run like mafia clans where power of stronger defines rules. Now of course I don't say every single russian citizen is like that, far from it, but society overall is, like it or not, just look at any news in past 30 years about them.
Absolutely nothing changed in that country since their house of cards collapsed, at least not for the better (list of things that got worse is way too long for posting here, but summary is endlessly greedy oligarchs and uber oligarch putin who is one of richest men in the world, and obviously not from his official salary but stolen from russian state and its citizens).
Look at how carefully Lukashenko dances around putin and whole war, this is how 'enemy of my enemy is my ally' looks like. Look at how russian troops were invited to help with unrests in Kazachstan to shoot few thousands of protesters, but then got very promptly kicked out of the country, and Tokayev shared his negative opinions on Russia many times. People don't forget murderous bullying, and so don't whole nations.
Vladimir Sorokin claims modern Russia was founded by Ivan the Terrible. The war has fortunately caught him in Berlin, so hopefully he won’t end up in a Siberian prison.
February 2014 Moscow invaded Ukraine, occupied Crimea, "referendum" under occupation month later.
12.04.2014 Moscow occupied Sloviansk, started war on east Ukraine, "referendum" under occupation month later. 17.07.2014 MH17 shot down by Moscow Buk.
February 2022 Moscow occupied Kherson, "referendum" under occupation half a year later, faked 87% "support".
Ukraine was neutral by constitution before Moscow invaded in 2014, majority of Ukrainians were against joining NATO, many favored economic ties with Moscow, many schools and universities performed education on Moscow language. Moscow violated Friendship Treaty (2004), Ukraine borders it recognized, Budapest memorandum (1994). How exactly occupation, annexation of friendly country is "complex subject"?
Sure, there are more details. Fundamentally that doesn’t change anything at all that much. At no point in the conflict Russia had any interest in a peaceful solution or actually protecting the Russian speaking population in East Ukraine (the opposite, they just wanted to turn them into some sort of perverse “martyrs”. Then again not particularly surprising considering that the Russian society is effectively a deranged death cult..)
The West encouraged Georgia to invade its breakaway former province South Ossetia in 2008. Turns out it was a lousy idea. Why blame Russia for bad voluntary choices of Georgian government?
Soviet/Russian invasion of Poland, Finland, and Georgia, respectively. (gee, wonder why they all want to be in NATO) There's also '56, Hungary, and '68, Czechoslovakia.
>Finland was a co-belligerent with Nazi Germany during the early years of World War II
...
>The Siege of Leningrad was a prolonged military siege undertaken by the Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) on the Eastern Front of World War II. Germany's Army Group North advanced from the south, while the German-allied Finnish army invaded from the north and completed the ring around the city.
>The war in Georgia last year was started by a Georgian attack that was not justified by international law, an EU-sponsored report has concluded.
The conflict erupted on 7 August 2008, as Georgia shelled the breakaway region of South Ossetia, in an attempt to regain control over it. The previous months had seen a series of clashes.
Soviets demanded Finland cede substantial territory and when they said no, the Soviets invaded and annexed a substantial part of Finland to this day.
You’re quoting a 2009 article. Everyone that doesn’t mindlessly watch RT already confirmed that it was South Ossetian separatists that started shelling other Georgians and that Russia has no business also invading Georgia over that. Russia air attacked areas around Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.
Who is this "everyone"? Was the cited EU report updated? I'm quoting a BBC article, which is hardly in a Russian corner. In any case, it has more credibility than a "trust me, bro" on HN.
No I claim Finland should not have been a NAZI ally.
There is no excuse and nothing will wash this part of history clean..
Oh and since we are counting dead:
The siege of Leningrad of which Finland was a part of:
>The siege became one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history, and it was possibly the costliest siege in history due to the number of casualties which were suffered throughout its duration. An estimated 1.5 million people died as a result of the siege.
Molotov-Ribbentrop pact — Moscow invaded Finland (1939), occupied Baltic states (1939), divided Poland with Germany (1939). Moscow was Germany ally for two years of WW2. Holodomor (1932-1933): Moscow killed millions without active war. "Great Britain, USA should not have been Moscow ally"?
Just look at what they are doing to their supposed brothers in Ukraine, for one old man's greed and twisted view on reality and his legacy, 0 other reasons. This is how they treat everybody, including other russians.
What they have are temporarily aligned forces who see some benefit in such action, nothing more. Most of them would take over russian territory and its mineral riches without blinking an eye if they could.