Hi Andris,
I had this whole comment written up last night and just before I was ready to post it I hit the wrong button and accidentally closed the tab. Damn, but it happens, I'll try to go through again what I'd written.

Firstly though in response to your points, look at Israel and Palestine, I don't think it makes any sense at all, to try to occupy regions where you're not wanted.
With this in mind, as far as Ukraine is concerned, if you drew a line from Kharkiv to Odessa (appoximate line of Russian speaking Ukrainians) it doesn't make much sense for Russia to take back territory west of this.

Now I'll try to go over what I'd written last night, but I doubt it will be as good as the other one I already wrote.

We in the west think we have democracy and pride ourselves in it, but we are actually the authoritarians AND the invaders.

First I want to share this video with you.
http://youtu.be/2IS7qOUJy1g
You can either watch the whole thing, or skip to about 30mins in where Eva Bartlett is interviewed.
What you will find out is 'Western State Sponsored Media Censorship'.
She also mentioned Patrick Lancaster, you can find a hit-piece here.
http://www.vice.com/en/article/wxneb4/ukraine-patrick-lancaster-journalist

She also talks about the fact that when she worked for RT they NEVER told her what to write or censored her views, yet she says the West would NEVER allow this themselves.

Look at what we do to control the narrative
The US government is recruiting influencers to get young people vaccinated
http://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/53726/1/the-us-government-is-recruiting-influencers-to-get-young-people-vaccinated

So it seems to me that what they call 'Russian disinformation and propaganda' is basically ANYTHING that is journalism that doesn't parrot a western narrative.

To drive this point home a little further we should look at Australian sanctions against Russia.

Australian Government sanctions
http://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2022L00708

Let's look a little further
Victory Museum Named
http://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/australia-imposes-ban-on-russian-journalists-propagandist-officials-and-legal-entities-articleshow.html

We sanctioned a museum, doesn't that make you curious?
Why did we do that? Maybe we should look at what it is.

[Cont.]
Victory Museum
http://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/06/07/ordinary-nazism

It doesn't seem that bad to me, it's just something that one might assume they don't want people in the West to know.

Let's take another look at what the West does.
Watch the first 5 minutes of this video and you'll see how people in the West who provide insight other than the official narrative are treated.

Ukraine Has Lost, Must Negotiate With Russia - US General
http://youtu.be/LEhrmwfU03U

You see, we attack, de-platform and defund people that don't tow the line on the official narrative, while Russia allows journalistic freedom on it's platforms.

Who then respects journalistic freedom? Not us.

Now lets go and have a look where this war in Ukraine started, and who is really to blame.

Nov 2013 (Pre-Maidan!): Ukraine Deputy has proof of USA staging civil war in Ukraine
http://youtu.be/y9hOl8TuBUM
(Turn on closed captions or read the video description for the transcript)

Now look at this mentioned in the above video.
TechCamp Kyiv 2012
http://youtu.be/bpIoBUDuL3U
(Again, read the video description)

And lets not forget this
F--- the EU!" (original File) - Victoria Nuland phoning with Geoffrey Pyatt
http://youtu.be/KIvRljAaNgg

Ukraine protests after Yanukovych EU deal rejection
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-25162563

The West overthrew the country back in 2014,
All this is the Wests fault.

Do you see now that we are the authoritarians that don't respect journalistic freedom, and we are also the invaders that meddle in the affairs of other countries, oppose or depose them when they don't do what we like, and support and install people who will?

[Cont.]

Let me push the issue a little further.
Watch this video, and see how we in the West organise dissidents to help create the conditions to conduct these overthrows 'in the name of democracy'.

Oslo Freedom Forum: US Proxies Train and Plan for the Next "Ukraine
http://youtu.be/y6S_fHt5ndo

Now look at all the nations the west has been screwing with.
http://williamblum.org/essays/read/overthrowing-other-peoples-governments-the-master-list

Assange says US meddled in 81 elections not including coups
http://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/854419203201404930

So do we really respect democracy? No
Do we really respect journalistic freedom and integrity? No
And who are really the invaders that seek to impose our will on others?
- We are.

And who benefits?
Not the people of the world, these elites, Royals, Bankers, Bilderbergers i.e the multinational business elite.

And who pays for all of it?
We the citizens of the world do.

Democracy is just a front company for western monetary policy.
It's the best system for productivity, and to steal all our productive wealth, and privatise it into the hands of others.
That's why they like it, nothing about human rights at all.

If they cared about human rights they wouldn't be sending more weapons to conscripted Ukrainians to fight and die in a war they can't win.

We're not sovereign nations.
We attack the sovereign nations.
We're mere colonies of globalism.

It's not as good as the one I wrote last night, but hopefully it still has the same effect.
I'm not sure how I got it all into a single response last night.
Thanks for your time, that's about all I've got.
I hope you can see the bigger picture.
- It's there for anyone who looks hard enough.

Hi Armchair Critic,

I agree with much of what you say, but there is something you say, which I urge you to fact check because it could not be further from the truth.

You say: 'Russia allows journalistic freedom on it's platforms.'

You have got to be kidding.

The government censors ruthlessly the entire Russian media.

After people started to protest after the invasion, a 15 year jail sentence was introduced in Russia against any protest.
Even a sign 'Let's have peace' is seen as a crime.

There is conclusive evidence that Putin had arranged the assasination of his ex Russian spy colleague in London; that he attepted to assasinate another two in London and that he arranged to have poisoned the current leader of Russian opposition and having failed, he keeps locking him up and have his followers muzzled by outlawing his party as a terrorist organisation. ETC!

It is one thing to recognise most serious flaws in Western democracies, or even to argue that their democracy is in fact qestionable,
but it is another, to claim that there is freedom of expression on Russsian media platforms.

In fact the Russian regime, including its exclusively propaganda-lies producing media outlets is getting more criminally repressive by the day.

All the best.

Hi Andris,

Thanks for your response.
I accept that your points are fair and reasonable issues for discussion, and intend to respond.
I've just spent half an hour or so writing up a 700 word response,
- but I've realised I can only add one more 350 word comment in a 24hr period.
(maximum of 4 x 350 word comments per day)

- So as much as I'd really like to share all I've written right now;
I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow to share it all with you.
Also what I've written, I'd rather keep all in one piece than give some now and some tomorrow.
- I wish I could share it all now, there's heaps of info to look over.

Hi Andris,
Yes ok, they are fair points for discussion.

First let's take a look at RT.
http://www.rt.com/

There's nothing there that would be considered false or misleading.
- And, we have to consider that which people who've worked for them have themselves said.
Eva Bartlett says she was never once told what to write, and never once was asked to change anything she wrote.
I also know of Lee Stranahan, I got a lot of my early info from him, and I don't recall anything that wasn't based on fact.
It was he, that many years back shared the Ukrainian Parliament videos and spoke about Civil Society 2.0 shown in the US Embassy Kiev video. (Apparently they first used this at Occupy Wall St protests, I think it was some kind of app, or tools for dissidents to use)
http://sputniknews.com/author_lee_stranahan/

Now onto your bigger argument
"After people started to protest after the invasion, a 15 year jail sentence was introduced in Russia against any protest.
Even a sign 'Let's have peace' is seen as a crime."

What you need to understand is the way the National Endowment for Democracy uses and has largely perfected empowering protesters to stir up trouble for the purposes of undermining an existing government and conducting overthrows.
Those sentences may seem like really harsh punishment for free speech, or a 'right to protest' but I think that what Russia are actually doing is preventing deliberate co-ordinated efforts to undermine the government in this particular war with Ukraine.
- And yes, I've heard that even calling it a war gets you in serious trouble.

I'll accept your very valid point on that one, but I hope that you can see the bigger picture.
With the US playbook, they would most definitely use this to stir things up and have Putin removed if they could, will you at least accept that?
But Putin enjoys an approval rating that far exceeds any of our 'democratic' nations.