Just FYI, the outlet that makes the claim is Russian, and is disputing the "State Dept. propaganda" that is officially not even sure it's an attack, let alone makes any attribution, and that's after several years of investigations that haven't even discovered any physical mechanism of action. (Surely GRU doesn't possess alien magic...)

What is your definition of "demonize"? The "balloon incident" was the exact opposite of hyped by the government, they kept it (and all the previous incidents) completely quiet until some rando with a telescope tweeted a picture of it and the media picked up the story.

And Russia's leaders repeatedly and openly declare their hostile intentions towards "the west" on a near-daily basis, they've been implicated in assassinations and attempted assassinations using chemical and radiological weapons on Western soil, have blown up arms depots in Czechia and Bulgaria resulting in deaths, frequently "question the statehood" of their neighbors including not just Ukraine but Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have state media run pieces where they threaten to nuke the UK, etc.

> What is your definition of "demonize"?

This:

https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/china-news/21091-a-500-million-...

Leading to things like this:

https://i.imgur.com/2pJlIK3.jpeg

> the media picked up the story

That's how the nonexistent Iraqi WMDs were sold - by the entire media repeating the State Dept. talking points for years. Manufacturing consent at its finest.

> And Russia's leaders repeatedly and openly declare their hostile intentions towards "the west"

They have warned about nato expansion and the overt, publicized plans of US think tanks and policymakers about destroying Russia for two decades. When the US came to their door, they put their foot down. The US policymakers are STILL talking about how they WILL destroy Russia. All of that talk is a violation of Article 51 of the UN and gives a casus belli to any country targeted in that manner.

> frequently "question the statehood" of their neighbors including not just Ukraine but Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

The US published a map to divide Russia into regions years ago. Russia started talking about Ukraine's statehood after the peace attempts were foiled by the Bojo clown and it turned out that the Russian-speaking regions have no chance of existing as equal citizens in a united Ukraine as they changed the freaking constitution to ban the Russian language and declare them 2nd class people. Russia doesn't question the statehood of the baltic countries - it says that they made them actual countries. So you are literally making things up by deriving on US propaganda.

> not to mention literally flying cruise missiles over NATO territory to attack Ukraine...

The lack of info and arrogance is overwhelming. Its worse than how it was in 2003. Its Nato who went to Ukraine. Not Russia who went to Mexico. This is without talking about how the CIA had been training neonazis since 1991. The people who support a country that has been publishing and then implementing policy about how to destroy a country are talking about the 'aggression' from the targeted country. The bully is the victim. Meanwhile that same bully is already spending $500 million to demonize the NEXT target as its supporters still buy into the propaganda as willingly as they did in 2003. Except this time, the targets have nuclear weapons.

You people are literally worse than how the Americans were in 2003 and desperately need to listen to some Chomsky. He has the patience to explain things. I don't.

>it turned out that the Russian-speaking regions have no chance of existing as equal citizens in a united Ukraine as they changed the freaking constitution to ban the Russian language and declare them 2nd class people.

You have been gulping propaganda by the liter and you accuse others of being influenced by propaganda.

>They have warned about nato expansion and the overt,

Even Putin doesn't pretend the war is about NATO expansion when he talks about it. It's about 7 items down his list of reasons, behind lots imperialist garbage about how Ukraine isn't a real country, the language isn't a real language, it's a fundamental part of the Russian nation, the national identity was completely invented by "the West", etc. etc. etc. It could not possibly be more clear that his reasons for invading Ukraine go far beyond standard "realist" geopolitics.

“They have warned about nato expansion and the overt, publicized plans of US think tanks and policymakers about destroying Russia for two decade.”

Ah, you didn’t watch the tucker Putin interview!

First question was whether NATO’s threat caused the Ukrainian invasion, and Putin quite clearly said, I’ll paraphrase, “Nope, Ukraine has always belonged to Russia.” Puty’s actual response was 30 minute history lesson on why Russia owns Ukraine. No mention of NATO. Anyway, you don’t know what you’re talking about it seems, or Putin is lying about his intentions, which I suppose is totally on brand for genocidal despots.

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