[AltaGuy]

The more I think about this, and the more time I have to let it sink in, the more I realize that there will be no meaningful response from the West. By nothing I mean that no Western country is going to actually punish Russia for this: the sanctions will be the usual, the oligarchs will keep most or all of their Western-held wealth and toys, and the world will go back to normal in about six months, maybe less.

Russia will get a puppet government in Kiev and independence for much of Eastern Ukraine after sitting down with the West for some "meaningful" peace talks once they have accomplished their goals.

It's a little bit sickening and very disheartening to me, but there is no will to stand up to Russia in any Western nation, and especially among the global elite who are members of all countries and none these days.

I've long been concerned that Russia and China are the world's future: not that they're going to take over, but that people will accept authoritarianism in exchange for material benefit the world over. Moreover, technology means that disinformation and cracking down on dissent has never been easier for an authoritarian regime, making their power much more secure than in the past where a revolution might threaten.

At any rate, I feel horribly for Ukrainians, who will fight and lose many lives, only to have the rest of the world essentially stand by and let Russia achieve all of their goals. I don't think any other country is next - Putin won't go into the Baltics or Poland or anything - but this is honestly bad enough. A sovereign state and people are losing their freedoms and the west will simply let it happen.