We have to take the thread seriously and accept our adversary as what he is. That doesn't mean copying his despicable methods. Our most effective defense is defending Ukraine.

It's almost as if Putin's regime was a hyper violent group of thugs, bent on threatening and killing everyone standing in their way of dominance.

It's called inflation.

Please read the article, it's not that long.

Yeah, the main issue is migration (here in Germany). And I believe propaganda is also a factor. People are bombarded with bad stories about migrants, but also about the government. This includes tabloids and social media of course. But also the conservative opposition. They are always talking about the government as if it was the worst in German history, when in reality it is not so different from their previous one.

Btw. the reasons why people vote for extremists are not smart. They are emotional. AfD voters tend to be less educated and porer.

I think Anders' analysis is correct (as usual). The sad thing is, that I believe not only the US is making this mistake, but also some European leaders. They should really know better and we will have to pay the price for it.

Also right (and left) wing populists are on the rise. And they openly support Russia. We are all fucked.

Putin is not as smart as his propaganda paints him. In fact it's probably the most successful part of his propaganda. Even people who see through most of his propaganda tend to believe that he's always playing 4D chess.

Still, remember that when Putin threatens us, he is telling us what he doesn't like. Threats don't cost him anything. By now we should have learned that his threats are empty, but many people are just too afraid.

Actually, it does. It says that the Russian people have nowhere to go. Their only option is to band together (behind Putin).

Edit: Oh, btw. I'm not saying that this video is definitely part of a propaganda campaign. She could also be a victim of propaganda.

Your line of reasoning is very hard to follow. You are alternating between soldiers/civilians and people/individuals. You are arguing against a point I never made. You are not engaging with my concerns. So let me state this again. The video is highly emotional, completely one-sided. Contains no concrete information. And fits perfectly into the Kremlin's propaganda. I wonder if all these Mexicans still hate her after she tells them that she disagrees with Putin and his war.

She says:

I can't stand it anymore because our real nationality is strong

Not sure what to make of this. We only have a video of an upset girl. Is she being treated unfairly? Who the fuck knows. All I know is that it plays perfectly into the Kremlin's propaganda: We are the good guys and the world hates us for no good reason.

Either that, or it was a way to build a wide alliance to support Ukraine (with some countries being more eager and some more hesitant to help).

Regardless, it was a half measure and should be abandoned rather sooner than later.

You can't know for sure given only this footage. But drones don't exactly have great armor. So detonating something so close makes a kill very likely.