My opinion on the Navalny case

[peacefan]

@JoeBiden @KamalaHarris @SecBlinken
Navalny is basically a trouble maker, who uses the discontent and unreasonably high expectations of Russian youths against Putin. Putin is a capable leader who can be reasoned with. We should NOT interfere in other nations' internal affairs.
9:49 PM · Jan 30, 2021·Twitter Web App

And eh, a case could be made i suppose that by supporting Navalny and imposing sanctions upon Russia over this, we "could put a stop to, or get back at the Russians over, the recent solarwinds hack *and* the 2016 election interference in the US by the Russians"

HOWEVER.. we here in the west should be the shining beacon of freedom through democracy AND good governance. if we're going to impose sanctions on the Russians, it should be over their offensive actions (so, directly), NOT over some trouble maker like Navalny (aka indirectly).

to inflame the situation by now grasping to Navalny, hoping that he (an already shot bird) would provide a better government somehow for Russia, is VERY fool-hearty.
Once in power, he'll be subject to the same anti-western powerful elements that Putin is now tied by.
And it looks like Navalny WILL be shoved into jail for a long time, which means that ANY western support for Navalny WILL result in those innocent misguided overly-expectatious Russian youths starting to depend ON western support for their "movement".
Which would mean a prolonged crackdown AND severe escalation of that semi-hidden war between NATO and Russia.

FOR F*@KS SAKE, WORLD LEADERS AND MEDIA ORGANISATIONS, WE NEED *MORE* INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION AND *LESS* SEMI-SNEAKY INTERNATIONAL POLITICS "MOVES". THE WORLD IS *NOT* SOME KINDA CHESS BOARD! GOOD NEWS IS THE ONLY PLEASANT NEWS! AND BAD NEWS JUST MAKES PEOPLE DESPERATE, FOOLISH, AND NAUSEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Moonglow]

And Crimea was a mistake and Putin plans on giving it back by the end of the next century, or two..

 

[peacefan]

And Crimea was a mistake and Putin plans on giving it back by the end of the next century, or two..

If you'd just study the Crimea case a little, and look at the map, then you'd know that Russia has had a naval base for over 100 years now, on the shores of Crimea for that large sea to the South of Crimea, which is connected to the Mediterranean sea (the sea to the south of Spain, Italy and Greece) in Turkey.
you'd also know that Crimea has an eastern section of their population that is strongly aligned, by their own choice, with Moscow.

so Russia had every reasonable reason to take Crimea back.

it was the west that tried to take Ukraine (Crimea was a part of Ukraine) by installing a capitalist government (with friendly ties to NATO) in the larger part of Ukraine, West-Ukraine.
not the smartest of choices.

and ultimately, btw, an acceptable compromise was reached. The West-Ukranians got their capatalist lifestyle and government (by electing a guy who owned & ran a large local cookie factory before his political career), they gave up East Ukraine in a short and fairly non-bloody war in an as yet unsolidified new autonomous region, which is by hidden rules accepted to have strong ties to Moscow.
and Moscow got their VITAL naval base back (well, the land-supply lines to that naval base, but while running a naval base that is *just* *as* *important*).
all good end good.

on other fronts however, i think it IS the Russians who are on the wrong side of right.
Solar winds, the 2016 election interference, the battles for territories far outside Russia, all wrong.