Quote Originally Posted by bytemare View Post
Why do you want me to link to English mainstream articles? This crisis has been going on for months, actually with origins going back several years. In any language it would take an encyclopaedia to explain all the nuances. You again generalize all people west of an imaginary line in Europe as not being able to read full articles or search for news on their own that interests them.
Because Western leaders require public approval when they stage violent coups against legitimate governments. Without public approval, they are committing political suicide.
Let's level-up to reality: Public approval = most people in a Western nation support their leaders' plans. To get that much approval, they have to control the media.
I have lots of time to learn Russian and explore the reality of what's really happening. But most Americans don't. I've read that the majority of Americans have to deal with multiple jobs, their families, taxes, daily chores, etc etc. And they want some free-time to chill or have fun. That leaves very little time for reading or watching the media. But hey, if you've read one American media source then you already know what every other American media source is saying.

Quote Originally Posted by bytemare View Post
So what if there's a bias in some places against Russia? In Russia there is some recent bias against parts of Europe and the USA. Who cares? My post wasn't concerned with that though, my post was a reaction to you writing that people in the west are unable or unwilling to read full news articles. I also just wanted to point out that your generalizations about what English speaking people doesn''t really make any difference, true or not. On this topic, it's about Ukraine, and what I posted above seems to represent the general thought there (but there are deviations, like "what do we need the European Union for?") . So while Russia might be gaining sympathy in some parts of the world (I have no evidence of this, I just read it from your post), quite the opposite, unfortunately, is happening in Ukraine.
That's a dangerous statement. It could also be read, "So what if there's a bias in some places against Ukraine?". That bias supports political decisions that have invaded and destroyed other nations.
And btw, any recent Russian bias towards parts of Europe and the USA is understandable, considering the massive Western bias towards Russia. I'm only surprised that the Russian bias didn't start a lot sooner than it did.
Trust me, the majority of people in the US aren't extremely intelligent, aren't willing to take time out to explore foreign affairs, and are the same majority that supported illegal and questionable wars.
That's why Hanna's generalizations are very important. The West couldn't make the decisions and policies it makes without them.
Never underestimate the power of people or the power of governments to control their opinions. Suggested reading, Sun Tzu, The Art of War:
Sonshi.com | Original Sun Tzu's Art of War translation (not Giles) It's a lot about the power of disinformation.

Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
....If you take UHox, not only does he read basic Russian and has gone to great lengths to inform himself. He is definitely not a representation of regular Americans, quite the opposite. The average person skims through the headlines and a few paragraphs of an article at best. Or watch the 5 minute slot about this on some news channel.
Thanks. Btw, I'm getting very proficient at typing Russian too on my English keyboard. And you're definitely correct. Most Americans believe anything the American media tells them and they don't really care. But the American media is only there to support politicians and oligarchs and thinking out of the box is not considered politically correct in the US. Atm, it would be very easy for American politicians to get the support they needed to start saturation bombings of Germany or France. It's basically anything that the politicians and the oligarchs want. All they need is their media and a believable story-line.

Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
And remember: Russia did not start the series of events in Ukraine, AT all. It's reacted to it: Somewhat opportunistic in the case of Crimea, but not against the wishes of the locals there. And it has behaved a bit ambigously and mysteriously in relation to Eastern Ukraine - but it's right in Russia's backyard, and many of the people involved are more or less Russians. So it's virtually impossible for Russia to stay completely detached.
When Ukraine rose up against Russia, Crimea became a serious National security threat to the SW. It's very fortunate that the Crimean people supported the annexation. Also, Russia will never give up Crimea. If Ukraine wants it back, it will have to fight the Russian military and that wouldn't end well for Ukraine or Europe.
About SE Ukraine. I think what President Putin is trying to avoid is another Yugoslavia. The US is already involved militarily and the government obviously supports geonocides. So does Western Ukraine.

And about Roshen chocolates. They were added to our boycott list when Poroshenko deployed the military against it's own people. There's just too many other amazing chocolatiers out there to ever consider buying it again. Btw, I love Belgian chocolate, especially with hazelnuts!