About the "good" Russians, or why Putin is at war

There are no illusions about what the war in Ukraine is about, in what context, and that the conclusion of peace does not actually depend on the Russian economy or other factors. Simply on why Putin is at war.

None of the wars have brought Russia any economic benefits. Russia is still paying taxes to Chechnya, lost the war in Syria, where the only economic benefit was, and is paying a huge amount of money for the territories of Ukraine. None of these wars have helped Russia in the field of security - quite the opposite. So why is Russia at war?

Here is one graph «Do you approve of the activities of Vladimir Putin as the president (prime minister) of Russia?». In general, the graph might not say anything special, but ...

Let's compare this graph with Putin's wars. The "Victory" in Chechnya sent his popularity sky high. The war in Georgia helped maintain his ratings during the Great Crisis. The first invasion of Ukraine raised Putin's support again. The 2018 invasion of Syria was widely shown, but it did nothing for Putin and, I admit, it also became one of the reasons why Syria was abandoned. What's the point of potential economic gain if the people don't support you? And finally, the war in Ukraine raised Putin's support again to the desired height.

Putin is at war because the "good" Russians like it. It is the demand of the nation. The cooperative "Ozero" has clearly read this desire of the Russian nation to war several times. The fact that neither "Ozero" nor the nation has the brains to understand how it will end is another matter. But Putin is at war because the Russians like to war. And support for Putin is unwavering. Why would he want to stop the war if even the "good" Russians, who are saved by the Latvian government in Latvia, support the war?

The "good" Russians themselves want the war

As long as the Russian people themselves support the war, there will be no peace. And it has nothing to do with Trump, Ukraine, or anything else. Putin will go to war because Russia has always wanted to go to war. All the most beloved Russian rulers are those who brought their country to economic ruin and collapse, but fought for as long as they could – Ivan the Terrible, Peter I, Nicholas II, Stalin – all of them are still worshipped by Russia. And that is why Putin will fight – even if he ends up in Ukraine, he will fight somewhere else, because that is the desire of all "good" Russians.

The only thing you can do in this story is to prepare for war with Putin and support those who fight with Putin. Because defeat in war is the only thing that can stop Putin from fighting. Not your attitude towards Russian-speakers, cooperation with Russia or any other nonsense – only the army.