#3 In a nutshell Mearsheimer is a Russian apologist. He consistently excuses their imperialist, malevolent and genocidal behavior while overestimating Russian power. Mearsheimer blames the west and Ukrainians for the war, not Russian revanchist imperialism and racism as if Russia has no agency.
Pre-2014, Ukrainians did not harbor mass animosity toward Russia, even though Russians rigged their elections at least twice, poisoned the President and installed a puppet to bring down Ukraine and into the Russia fold. The majority still preferred closer relations with Russia than the US and probably Europe too. Even the Maidan revolution was not explicitly anti-Russian. It was about the Russian puppet President breaking a pledge to seek closer EU trade ties and corruption of the presidency.
Only after Russia invaded in 2014 did Ukrainian sentiment turn against Russia and solidly so after the 2022 and Russia's genocidal tactics against Ukrainians. |