Russia - threadbanned users in OP

It's not that simple or so black and white Lister. I can't speak for Seenitall's example, or in general obviously, but the woman I know is just as quick to defend Ireland, indeed quicker than many Irish people and holds no truck with that trend you can sometimes see with some Irish people who have an insecurity about this country and seem to get the horn for running it down.

There can be a cultural difference in play too. Since WW2 and even since the 80's in Ireland, Western Europe had become much more twitchy around notions of patriotism/nationalism for obvious reasons of fallout from WW2 and see it as the preserve of the Right wing. Which it all too often is. The Left abhor the notion, the Centre tend to avoid it and Western Europeans are more likely to question even denigrate their own nation. Outside Western Europe and worldwide, including much of Eastern Europe patriotism/nationalism is a much less frowned upon thing and you'll see positive expressions of it from people on the Left, Centre as well as Right. That can be jarring to our western European Liberal sensibilities. It has on occasion been to mine.

There are religious people who have more access to all the science on the planet in human history sitting on their phones yet choose to believe in virgin births, elephant headed gods and angels. Hell, we had a load more of them here in Ireland not so long ago. Because as you've said we have grown so used to(and should be extremely grateful for) access to many voices with many angles, and more the choice to pick and choose ones we decide we like, it's easy to forget how so many in the world haven't and grew up with only one narrative all their lives and had little choice in it. As the Jesuits said give me the boy I'll give you the man. That's hard programming to overcome. Indeed built into such programming is a strong defence against even trying to. The secular version of the religious "it's a sin to even consider it" stuff. There's a reason that stuff has been so pervasive throughout human history, it works.

In some cases it could even be harder for those living away from home as that's the narrative that connects them. I mean look at some of the Irish Americans back in the day who had access to wider information, but instead chose to think Chuccky arrrr laaa!! and here's twenty bucks for The Lads. Hell, on a more mundane note we have some Irish and English people living in Spain, or even on holiday who insist on going to Irish/British bars. 😁

Mark me well Lister, I do NOT condone, or come within an asses roar of supporting her opinions, but I kinda understand where she gets them if you see what I mean? Now to be fair too, I haven't seen or heard from her since this invasion kicked off(I'd only see her a couple of times a year kinda thing) and she may well be at the putin's a wanker stage, but I'd not be surprised if she wasn't.

As for the absolute luxury in comparison to home angle: There are two Russias in many ways. You have the rural villiage life far from the centre and the world with the cows, the chickens and a half acre of spuds and you have the urban Russia in places like St Petersburg and Moscow, where there is a middle class spread not so unlike our own and with similar trappings of skinny lattes, social media, European cars, iphones and foreign holidays. This particular person comes from the latter and is young enough not to have remembered the 90's too clearly.

😂 Dopey prick. Mind you that older green car in the clip looked like it had a decent paintjob. Always the petrolhead.😁

I'd not be surprised at all if some Ukrainian forces in that city surrendered. Pummelled for weeks, running out of food and ammo(I read on twitter earlier that they and civilians were reduced to drinking water from radiators). Particularly if the Russians because of the wholesale civilian murders by them elsewhere are looking to spin some optics and "guaranteed" fair treatment to volunteer Ukrainian forces(which is what they more look like)*, who they could then parade as being well treated and go for the "how could you accuse us of war crimes, look at this!" angle. Given they've OK'd this footage and they give the nod to very little I'll bet that's what they're going for.

*If they were marine or especially Azov units they wouldn't have been given any chance to surrender.