
The thing about wars is that we are conditioned to see them in terms of good guys and bad guys. Russia has invaded Ukraine. Ergo, the Russians must be the villains.
But why did Russia invade Ukraine? Is it because Putin is a megalomaniacal despot? 0r are his reasons based on grievances that reached a breaking point?
Here are two sites that give a different portrayal of Russia’s rationale from what you are hearing in the mainstream media.
The first site, from the Off-Guardian, gives an historical perspective of Ukraine’s relationship with Russia. It also details the Kremlin's concerns about the growing militarization of Ukraine. off-guardian.org/2022/02/25/whats-really-going-on-in-ukraine/
The second site is a translation of the speech given last Thursday by Vladimar Putin to the Russian people, justifying what is going on in Ukraine at the moment. Be prepared for a style that is very different from what you might hear from Joe Biden or Justin Trudeau. This is a long, step by step, historical explanation of why Putin considers, not Ukraine, but America and NATO to be the real threat to Russia. sputniknews.com/20220224/putin-authorizes-special-operation-in-donbass-1093318890.html
Does the promotion of these two postings mean that Democracy Alert supports Russia in this conflict? Absolutely not.
But we can see why Russia might be uneasy with the presence of the NATO military "exercises" they insist are taking place on Ukrainian territory. We're pretty sure the US would not allow similar incursions by the Russians or Chinese in Cuba or Venezuela.
So let’s go back to our allusion to the good guys and bad guys in this conflict. The good guys, in our opinion, are the vast majority of Ukrainian citizens who are helpless pawns in this power play among superplayers on the international scene.
Yes, one of the bad guys is Russia, but is it really the only one?
Might not the impression, given by mainstream media, that the behind the scenes dealings of the Americans and NATO in Ukraine over the past few years have been entirely benevolent and in the interests of ordinary Ukrainians, be either short-sighted or slanted? And if so, why is that?
The reasons for the Ukraine war could be a lot more complicated and devious than we are led to believe.