[jollybean]

No, NATO is not a threat to Russia.

NATO is not organised well enough to conduct offensive operations on that scale, moreover, there is no state on earth, including US and China that could take parts of Russia and hold for long.

But that aside, the very real political and economic situation in the world would make it unfathomable. There's basically no 'strategy game' where the West would have the intent let alone ability to truly invaded Russia.

The 'NATO' issue is almost entirely a canard, a very easy argument that Putin uses to cause confusion, allow other supporters (i.e. China) to make empty arguments at the UN etc.

Putin is literally using the 'UN Charter' to as cover to legitimise his invasion of Ukraine.

Putin has used the term 'genocide' constantly in the last decade to refer to what is happening in Donbass even though this is obviously not the case.

Putin's implication that 'he's invading Ukraine to stop fascist country, to protect Russian speakers and to 'keep peace'' is basically rubbish, as are his arguments with respect to NATO.

There's a grain of truth in it, of course there is violence in Donbas, but amplifying the issue is the very obvious ruse.

Their playbook is wide open - we know their doctrine, we know how they use misinformation, we know how they argue, we know their intentions. It looks pretty bad on us to allow any of this to happen.

FYI - Western Media has been making a lot of money arguing in public lately, and it's appalling what we're seeing on some of the news outlets, and some of the statements by US public officials. Some people are 'taking a stake' in the situation as they would any other news item, i.e. 'jockeying for position' on the issue. It's disgusting.

[jacquesm]

> There's a grain of truth in it, of course there is violence in Donbas, but amplifying the issue is the very obvious ruse.

The only reason there is violence in Donbas is because of the previous undeclared Russian invasion of that territory as well as fomenting unrest there and elsewhere in Ukraine. Not to mention shooting down a commercial airliner.

It's about as truthful as Hitler arguing there is violence in the West of Poland in October 1939.

[amcoastal]

I feel like its a lot to ask when the people of the U.S. can't even see through propaganda about what is happening in our own backyard. Why would you expect the average american to understand Putin is lying about genocide when half the country believes a caravan of invading Mexicans is attacking the country anytime an orange moron says it?