Russia Ukraine war, page-62703

Re "still ask that question ... if the situation IS as you describe ...why did Putin play into their hands and invade ??"

Mainly because he had no choice. I've asked before, do you know any other leaders of major powerful nations, at any point in history, who passively watch their closest enemy of the past century try and subvert the political scene in a neighbouring country?

Do you imagine, if the Russian equivalent of Lindsay Graham and Victoria Nuland were walking the streets of Canada talking about getting their pro Russian man into power, that America would have turned the other cheek?

Maybe Putin would have gone in anyway, I don't know. But he has exposed their underbelly and I now understand the number of influential "special" people in his immediate group is greatly reduced. Better still!