this post was submitted on 22 May 2024
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Did you bother watching the lecture from Mearsheimer that the slides are from? It provides a lot of background and explains why Russia took action. The French documentary details what was happening since 2014, but I've also linked a CNN clip saying the same things more briefly. Hopefully you'll agree that CNN isn't spreading Russian propaganda.
Fundamentally, the explanation Russia gives is precisely the same that NATO had for intervening in Yugoslavia, and is in fact directly modelled on it. Just as NATO did, Russia recognized independence of the separatist regions, then these regions asked Russia to intervene on their behalf, which Russia did.
Prior to taking action, Russia tried to work with the west and Ukraine to implement Minsk agreements for 8 years. Western leaders have now come out and openly said that these were never intended to be implemented faithfully, and were used as a delaying tactic to arm Ukraine. Stoltenberg has now publicly admitted that NATO expansion was a major factor in the start of the war as well:
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_218172.htm
Finally, we now know that Russia and Ukraine had a draft peace agreement first two months into the war that the west sabotaged. The agreement effectively amounted to Ukraine staying neutral and actually implementing Minsk. The fact that the west refused to go along with that makes it pretty clear who actually wanted the war all along.
In fact, RAND famously published a study titled 'Extending Russia' that outlines how Russia could be goaded into a conflict in Ukraine, and why that would benefit US interests https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3063.html