(Moved from c/genzedong after I realized this would be the better place to post this.)
I disagree with this. The west is clearly capable of continuous arms production, thanks to its large and stable imperialist supply chain. It is Russia's economical potential which seems smaller in comparison.
I have a couple of questions.
How much weaponry was there in Ukraine prior to the war, NATO-supplied or from elsewhere, that could directly threaten Russia?
Next, going to war over the protection of Russian-speaking diasporas is a nice ideal, but it does not immediately translate to practical terms. I am willing to accept the idea that Russia risked losing everything by trying to protect Donbas Russians from Ukraine, but so far, the only signs of any Ukraine aggression in the region that I recall is the banning of Russian language and the shelling of separatists, who themselves shelled the Ukrainians. I also find the effectiveness of the takeovers questionable. Are Russians truly better stewards than the Ukrainians, all documented events considered? I truly do not know enough about this to make the right judgement call. Also not to mention the inversion of the idea - what about the Ukrainians in the Russia-occupied territories? Are they doing well too?
I am somewhat doubtful of the other things you have said, but I am unsure how to properly address them, so I suppose I will do some more research into the situation instead.
Yes, war is expensive, everyone knows that. But is it really worth it for Russia if they are impacted by it too? Surely they had to know that, going in. Though as the article states, they supposedly misjudged the costs and the duration of the whole operation, not expecting it to turn into a full on war. And now, I dunno, maybe continuing to fight is their bet at preserving... something, but everyone can see that the working class suffers on both sides because of it.
In my opinion? Yes.
It's not for you or me, it's for novices, people who will turn away the second you discredit any of the famous anti-government protests or deny the Uyghur genocide. They need to take small steps, or else they will be overwhelmed by disbelief. I speak from experience, as I went through the exact same thing, having been raised on a liberal diet my entire life.
And of course, all those points you've raised are valid. It is mainly the social credit system facts which were presented here surprisingly honestly and in a well-informed manner.
Still better than the usual fearmongering. I've shared this video mainly since it seems like an acceptable learning material for normies.
I am particularly interested in the things he said about the USSR, the arguably "wrong" steps it took in regards to the management of the Kazakh lands.