Q&A: The Russian Narrative in the War
The Russian Narrative in the War
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Recently the Russians have been trying to explain that the reason for the war is to prevent the expansion of the NATO alliance toward Russia, and especially onto Ukrainian territory that borders Russia. It somewhat recalls the Cuban Missile Crisis. On the face of it, there is some logic to their explanation. I wanted to ask what you think about this. Is there any justice to what they are saying?
Best regards,
Answer
The Nazis also claimed that the Jews threatened the world. Claims are cheap. NATO has no offensive ambitions, which is not something that can be said about the Russians, and therefore these concerns look like mere excuses. It is roughly like Iran's excuses about Israel's nuclear program.
Discussion on Answer
Indeed, one cannot be certain. Still, there is common sense, and in my estimation the Russians are the bad guys here. We are talking about atrocities and violence that were apparently committed. The fact that someone offers an explanation based on symmetry with the other side does not mean anything. People always do that. What remains for us is the impression we get from the information before us. The arguments of the two sides are not very significant here, since they are biased and agenda-driven.
So why did you say the following in a column a year ago about the war:
"Let me begin by saying that I am not expert in the details of the conflict, and therefore although Putin is portrayed as the violent villain and the Ukrainians are the righteous ones (ask my mother), I am not entirely sure that this is the situation"