Now, not only are they passive and obedient, but many of them are zealous and loyal fighters for the Russian Empire.
Yeah, I think many people don't realize that Russia and Putin are playing a different game with different rules. Their embedded servility, or to put it better, their slave hivemind mentality, is really their greatest strength. Russia has proven throughout its history and once again in Ukraine that it is absolutely willing to burn the lives of its own citizens at a rate and scale that is unfathomable to the Western world. And the Russians just accept it like it's nothing. Russians live in alternative reality it seems, like it's the feudal times.
Seriously, if 800 US soldiers were to die in a single day, protests would be erupting in the streets immediately. When 800 Russian troops perish in a single day, no one cares or notices in Russia. Their lives have no value over there.
There is no chance Putin will conquer all of Ukraine
People were saying there was no way Putin would invade Ukraine after annexing Crimea, and yet here we are. Appeasement and permitting land grabs only embolden aggression. Little by little, Russia will try to eat away at Ukraine.
So you can spare me the fear-mongering nonsense. Your Israeli/Hamas comparison makes no sense either.
The world is so interconnected now that what's happening in Ukraine has consequences for millions of people in Europe, Central Asia, and other places around the world.
Even if it's not a monetary ROI, our continued security is the ROI. The US not having to send troops and be in direct confrontation with Russia is also the ROI. Slava Ukraini!
If Ukraine falls because the USA is bogged down due to internal political fighting (thanks to MAGA/pro-Russian Republican scumbags), it will just make the US lose credibility on the world stage. Countries will start to look for other alliances and probably make compromises that don't involve the US because we can't be trusted to help our allies when the time calls for it. Mike Johnson and the rest of these trumpets in the GOP need to go. Making us look weaker and weaker by the day.
It's also beyond ridiculous, considering the massive US defense budget every year, and what the heck do we have to show for it? We can't even do the bare minimum to protect our allies by giving away our old stuff, which will likely be scrapped or replaced in a few years, which is ironic because it costs more money to decommission stuff at the scrapyard.
Plus, all those older weapons will be replaced with newer stuff, which will strengthen our military and create jobs for Americans, too. There is literally no downside to helping Ukraine in its fight against those barbaric invading savages.
From the Washington Post,
Here is the best-kept secret about U.S. military aid to Ukraine: Most of the money is being spent here in the United States:
Funds that lawmakers approve to arm Ukraine are not going directly to Ukraine but are being used stateside to build new weapons or to replace weapons sent to Kyiv from U.S. stockpiles. Of the $68 billion in military and related assistance Congress has approved since Russia invaded Ukraine, almost 90 percent is going to Americans, one analysis found