Putin's goal is the complete annihilation of Ukrainians/Getty Images
Empires have their own romance. It lies in getting bigger.
The logic of an empire
You can tighten up the logic under this: more resources allow you to solve more grandiose tasks. Ethics can be tightened under this: “the burden of a white man” – the empire brings education, culture and industry to the natives.
If you are on the side of the empire, your position looks logically and morally justified, sung by poets and heroically depicted by artists. And the death of the natives, who do not want to realize their benefit and fiercely resist, is not too high a price to pay for the benefits of imperial civilization.
Fight – you will overcome
But if you are on the opposite side, then you just want to be yourself. You want to live, but that right is called into question.
In the end, the point of standing determines the view: according to the logic of the empire, you should not be here; by your logic, you should be here. This leaves little room for compromise, as one well-known woman from Kiev said (former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir – Channel 24).
