*Controversial Posting Intensifies*

Russia, and Putin himself, regarded Ukraine as a sovereign country up until *checks watch* last week. Sure, Russia had harassed the eastern provinces and annexed Crimea, but even those acts implicitly recognized the non-annexed portions as Ukrainian.

Prior to that, Russia gave Ukraine security guarantees after it achieved its independence, has entered into treaties with it, traded with it for decades, etc etc. So, Russia’s current posture that Ukraine isn’t a “real country” is belied by its own past actions.

This new Anti-Ukraine Putinist swill is hogwash, pseudo-historical mumbo-jumbo that gives Russia (and most other countries on earth, come to think of it) a blank check to invade every country on its borders.

How do you sensibly decide what point in history ought to define a country’s “true” geographical reach? You can’t. So, sensible countries respect other countries’ present-day boundaries under international law, because rewriting them by force is unacceptably violent. (Mutually, peacefully negotiated territory-swaps are a different matter entirely.)

Fortunately, Putin’s neo-imperialist nonsense will be stopped by the Russian army’s own incompetence, the crippling international sanctions, and/or an internal palace coup that deposes Putin like so many other insane czars have been discarded throughout Russia’s history.

Putin is right about one thing: The strong are the ones who write history. But, who really has the strength here?

Stay tuned!

Bottom-line: This has nothing to do with “history” and everything to do with Putin’s inability to accept Ukraine’s pro-Western, pro-democracy political direction since the Euromaidan protests in 2014.

I put the bit about Rurikids because this meme was a jab at the "Rusalani" (rather, Roxolani) argument, while referencing the current conflict. The Ukraine has been tending more to "Rusalani" than crediting the Ruotsi, in recent years. Hence, "fake history." You can also find both stances in Russia, but "Rusalani"/Roxolani are a recent position and rejected even by most sources outside either country.

Some also don't like that the Etymology of "Ruotsi" is Finnish, as if it means the Rurikids were, though the Ruotsi were Swedes.

Some call that "The Normanist Theory", even though it isn't about Normans. It is about Norse, though, which is related.

As per the conflict: The E.U. and N.A.T.O. also just wouldn't accept an independent Ukraine, when a Russian ally. So, those backed Euro-Maiden. There was even a claim that Russia had "rigged" the election, like later used in America against Trump.

Those now complaining about Russia were largely fine with the Donbass being shelled by the government established via Euro-Maiden, when Donetsk and Luhansk wanted independence.

The Crimea overwhelmingly voted to be annexed.

There were some calling to depose Putin, from America, even back in 2011 (as part of the 2012 election cycle).

Euro-Maiden and its sphere are far from guiltless in this, though an independent Ukraine doesn't bother me and one doesn't have to like everything Putin does. You can still criticize the other side, too.

This could get very ugly, regardless of which side wins.