[sgbuffett]

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/18/europ...index.html

What does Putin want in Ukraine? The conflict explained

What does Putin want?
Putin has managed to ratchet up pressure on the West for months without ever firing a shot or rolling a tank across its border with Ukraine.
Moscow has been accused of engaging in hybrid warfare against Ukraine, using cyberattacks, economic pressure and propaganda to stir up tensions. The State Department claimed in early February that Russia was prepared to fabricate "a pretext for an invasion" through a false-flag video.
Still, the Kremlin's intentions in the country have largely remained a mystery. What Putin has made clear, though, is that he views NATO's eastward expansion as an existential threat to Russia.
In December, Putin presented the US and NATO with a list of security demands. Chief among them is a guarantee that Ukraine will never enter NATO and that the alliance rolls back its military footprint in Eastern and Central Europe -- proposals that the US and its allies have repeatedly said are non-starters.i

[guffaw]

Everyone knows that Russia is fabricating "a pretext for an invasion". Russia and rebels has much to gain thru this invasion. Ukarine will lose everything.

Commies are saying ukarine is instigating Russia to attack. How stupid is this.