They’re not “fighting NATO”, they’re fighting for their own imperialistic bullshit.
history started on 2022
When you definitely know what imperialism is
imperialism, state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas. https://www.britannica.com/topic/imperialism
Gee, totally not what Russia is doing, my bad
/s
Using Britannica 's definition of Fascism is like using the Klan’s definition of racism.
Here’s the actual definition, which doesn’t fit modern Russia at all, but does fit neatly onto the US and most of the EU.
Imperialism is capitalism at that stage of development at which the dominance of monopolies and finance capital is established; in which the export of capital has acquired pronounced importance; in which the division of the world among the international trusts has begun, in which the division of all territories of the globe among the biggest capitalist powers has been completed.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/ch07.htm
Bonus excerpt of Lenin calling out Kautsky for doing exactly what you’re doing with the definition:
This definition is of no use at all because it one-sidedly, i.e., arbitrarily, singles out only the national question (although the latter is extremely important in itself as well as in its relation to imperialism), it arbitrarily and inaccurately connects this question only with industrial capital in the countries which annex other nations, and in an equally arbitrary and inaccurate manner pushes into the forefront the annexation of agrarian regions.
Gee, now I see why libs don’t see the US and Europe as imperialist. They use a definition where they dont fall into
Facts are evil, how dare you use a dictionary. Dictionaries are
wokewestern!
Fighting border disputes is not imperialism. Since 1992 Russia has engaged in military conflict almost exclusively with its neighbors (totalling about 5 countries depending on how you count conflicts) and has not ever taken over any of its neighbors through these conflicts and managed their economic affairs to Russia’s benefits.
By comparison, the US has engaged in military conflict with none of its neighbors, and yet in the same 34-year span has engaged in military conflict with 12 - 15 countries depending on how you count military conflicts. And the objectives were either total domination and economic extraction, total economic devastation of countries operating outside their economic control, or disruption and elimination of resistance to their control. In most cases, the US took over hugely profitable economic operations like mining and opium farming or destroyed competitive economic operations like oil and gas and food production that directly competed with US corporations.
One of these is imperialism. One of these is the border disputes arising from being the target of Western dominance-oriented aggression for 175 years.
I cant see what west has to do with this conflict aside from providing aid to Ukraine which is fighting for its independence. West definetely wasnt the force that initiated this conflict. Like think about it the borders of Ukraine were determined by USSR which was controlled by russian elites, hell even if it wasnt modern Russian government admires them(I really cant wrap my head around their current ideology that tries to combine admire both Russian empire AND USSR which rebelled against said empire).
Also fighting one form of imperialism isnt a justification for another thats how you end up justifying inhumane. Your point about a border conflict is rather vague too as any direct imperialist expansion can be considered a ‘border conflict’ if you stretch it enough.
‘and has not ever taken over any of its neighbors through these conflicts and managed their economic affairs to Russia’s benefits.’ Well except they do it through bribing corrupt officials and helping them advance every way they can, I am saying this as a resident of a country influenced by this.