84% of Ukrainians would trust Putin to run their country!
It is no secret. Russians' per capita income in almost 4 times higher than Ukrainians'. And we know who backed the Ukrainian coup, don't we?
Why would the US ever dream of confronting Russia in her own back yard? The US is great when it comes to destabilizing third world countries. But Russia?
Assume there are no nuclear weapons and we don't turn each other into smoldering cinders inside of ½ hour. A division can last five, repeat five days before it needs to be resupplied with enormous amounts of supplies, particularly fuel. In a conventional war, Russia, whose armed forces have been mobilized since the US-backed Kiev coup d'état, a minor detail the Western press has not bothered to impart to us, and who also have the advantage of home defense, would crush NATO in a matter of weeks, if not days.
If you look at history, wannabe world rulers have a sickly track record when it comes to attacking Russia, whether the Russian leader is called Czar, First Secretary or President.
It does not matter what Westerners think of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. His constituency are Slavs and they will follow him. Mention gay rights in Russia today and you will likely be lynched by ordinary people as a Western subversive. Don't believe it? Try to get someone to answer the phone in Moscow at the former offices of the "NGO" National Endowment for Democracy. Russians are tough and are used to going without things to get their way. Your arms are too short to mess with The Bear.
No one country can ever rule the world, and Russia shows no signs of such an ostentatious ambition. There will always be someone whom you have underestimated until it is too late. Other than Russia Today and Russian Insider, Russia has little voice in the monopolist Western press. But Putin has already won the propaganda war hands-down worldwide. That was Chinese President Xi sitting next to Putin at the May 9, 2015 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. And, no, that was no illusion, it was Xi's elite honor guard marching in the parade with Russian soldiers. Even in the palmy days during the honeymoon between Mao and Stalin nothing like this ever happened!
These neocon idiots have done the one thing that Western geopoliticians have strenuously tried to prevent since Lord Mackinder: thou shalt not allow a military alliance to form on the Eurasian continent. Way to go, bubba!