The sort of context you never see in the Western PBB. And Eric’s material is only some of the reasons which left VVPutin’s governing cabal with no choice but the military operation - no choice in the horrible real-world situation in which they have to work. Sure, war is dreadful, and we should never do it. But we do, we’re addicted to it. That’s the reality in which genuine state-crafters have to operate, like it or not. Easy for armchair commentators to deplore it; but what would any of us do if we were in the position of the ruling cabal in Russia, trying to keep our country safe and out of the hands of incurably-criminal fascistic globalist gics?