OP is also pushing the assumption: "Everyone is either 100% paid by Putin directly, or 100% totally fine." This is a bad assumption. It's totally fine to say "I, an internet poster, have no idea as to how many handshakes away from Putin this person is. They could be paid, or paid by a surrogate, or ten degrees of that, or they could have been fooled into sincerely believing RT talking points. However, their behavior and statements are useful idiot behavior and useful idiot statements, and I'm judging them appropriately."
Also, I've been called a Russian asset plenty of times, and I'm even banned from some subs for supposedly being a Russian asset, and I have no connections to Russia at all. I've never been to Russia, I have no family from Russia, and I don't speak Russian.
I definitely have you marked as maybe pro-Russia because you're openly mocking criticism and helping the pro/neutral-Russia narrative. I don't think it's intentional, but I'm not ruling it out either.
I can't access the link you posted. So I'll take your word for it. But I can't see how many votes it has or what their reasoning is.
I can’t access the link you posted. So I’ll take your word for it. But I can’t see how many votes it has or what their reasoning is.
You might have the poster blocked. You can see it if you open the link in an Incognito window. It has 15 upvotes.
I definitely have you marked as maybe pro-Russia
First of all, even if I was pro-Russia, that doesn't mean I'm a Russian asset. Assets operate under instructions and get paid for it (I assume).
Secondly, I'm not pro-Russia. I mean, I'd like to think I appreciate Russian culture in the same way I appreciate all world cultures, but I have no particular loyalty or sympathy for the Russian government. (And I don't even know much about Russian culture. I've never read Tolstoy or Pushkin. I don't think I could name a single Russian dish apart from borscht.)
I think that Ukraine is a puppet of the Western powers, and I think that the US and NATO provoked the war in the Donbas. I don't think that makes me pro-Russia. If I was pro-Russia, then I would want Russia to win the war, and truth is I don't care which side wins the war. I just want it to be over. Ideally, I'd like the people of the Donbas to have a referendum about which country they'd like to be a part of, but neither Ukraine or Russia are going to let that happen.
I also think a lot of the information we're getting about the war in the Ukraine is blatant propaganda. Like, we're supposed to believe they killed 10,000 Russian troops last week? Then why are they freaking out about 1,500 troops coming from North Korea? (Even if North Korea sent 10,000 troops, that's still only one week's worth, right?) Again, I don't think that makes me pro-Russia. That makes me pro-truth.
I am also pro-BRICS, because I support a multi-polar future for our world. I don't think that makes me pro-Russia anymore than it makes more pro-Brazil or pro-Ethiopia. (I don't see BRICS as an anti-Western alliance. Also, Brazil is a Western country.)
I will be upfront about all of this. I am not hiding any of it.
(I mean, I get it. We live in a 1984-style dystopia where I can’t question our very questionable government without being accused of being a traitor and secretly loyal to whichever foreign power is considered the enemy this week, and I should consider myself lucky that I don’t end up in Room 101, or Guantanamo Bay, or the Embassy of Ecuador in London. Yeah, I know.)
I use Connect on Android. I'm not sure if tagging is a function of the app or of Lemmy. I've only really used it a few times. It shows up on the three dots under a person's comment or on their profile, "add user note".
I think that Ukraine is a puppet of the Western powers, and I think that the US and NATO provoked the war in the Donbas.
How about Russian invading Crimea in 2014? Do you say that's somehow the US and NATO's fault too?
And I don’t even know much about Russian culture.
...and...
I’d like the people of the Donbas to have a referendum about which country they’d like to be a part of, but neither Ukraine or Russia are going to let that happen.
The first statement of yours is why the the second statement of yours doesn't work. You're missing the knowledge of Russian history and politics. Part of the Soviet/Russian way is to take over a territory, then deport all of its local population to other parts of Russia and replace the population with Russians. Not only was this done historically in Donetsk and Luhansk (Eastern Ukraine) prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union, but even after the Russian invasion in 2014 to these areas Russia went back to their old methods and move much of the Ukrainian population out. source
So if you had your way, the people voting would include large portions of recently settle Russians to the Ukrainian territories. Which way do you think Russians would vote on that?
So you’re arguing against self-determination for the inhabitants of the Donbas on the grounds that the territory historically belonged to Ukraine. (Which does seem to be the attitude of the Ukrainian government.)
I don’t think that’s a good argument against self-determination. And that’s how you end up with separatist violence.
So you’re arguing against self-determination for the inhabitants of the Donbas on the grounds that the territory historically belonged to Ukraine.
So you're arguing that as long as an invader/occupier can displace or genocide the entire population that lives in a territory, there should be no barriers to an invading force claiming whatever land they want.
I see you also ignored my question about the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014.
I see why others gave you the "Russian Sympathizer" label. You say you're not a Russian asset. If you want to avoid that suspicion in the future, you should really avoid using lines like you're using now right out of the Russian propaganda playbook.
So you're arguing that as long as an invader/occupier can displace or genocide the entire population that lives in a territory, there should be no barriers to an invading force claiming whatever land they want.
Well, if that’s your argument, then neither Ukraine nor Russia have a claim to Crimea. It should belong to the Crimean Tatars.
Well, if that’s your argument, then neither Ukraine nor Russia have a claim to Crimea. It should belong to the Crimean Tatars.
Didn't you earlier claim to not know anything about Russian culture? Now suddenly you're a scholar on the history of the Soviet Union and Russia? The sovereign country of Ukraine didn't deport Crimean Tartars in boxcars to Uzbekistan as Russia did 80 years ago, but I'm guessing you know that already. You've now made it abundantly clear your position of your support of today's Russia's actions and given many clues as to why you hold that support.
No need for me to continue interacting with you. до свидания!