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Comment by epolanski | Hacker News Reader

> to gazprom basically being used as an economic weapon of Russia

So after we funded Ukraine's war, sanctioned Russia into oblivion, froze hundreds of billions $ of their money, forced our companies to leave their market, and even seized their belongings it's them weaponizing assets?

I'm all for the sanctions and support, but making Russia the bad guy for our economic crisis because they are retaliating sanctions is really biased. It's not a weapon, it's a trade and they leave money on the table everyday. Lots of money.

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"Both sides both sides"

Russia is the bad guy for both the war and their reaction to the sanctions. Your comment is like saying "don't get mad at a criminal for shooting at the police chasing him".

> at the police chasing him"

Just so that we're clear, calling the West as "the police" as you do with your analogy just reinforces Russia's claim that we now live in a unipolar world, of which the US is the policeman (hence Russia's desire to split it all into a multi-polar world, no police chasing bad guys without international due-process there).

My analogy was good vs evil not policing. Defending the invasion of another country is also not policing

It's not whataboutism.

It's ridiculous to me we went all in on sanctions pretending they would bend over and keep doing business with us, but only on things we want them to, after we deny them machinery, computers, software, cars and steal/freeze their assets.

Your analogy doesn't work, we aren't police and they are not shooting, they quit doing business and decided they are okay without our money.

"we" didn't want them to do business with us. See "MEPs demand full embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas" https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220401IP... The US had to intervene to stop this.

Where were EUs sanctions when the “police” was massacring people all over the Middle East multiple times?

That doesn’t count, that was a mistake /s

Whataboutism, unrelated to this situation

Russian could end the sanctions by choosing to withdraw their invasion. Withdrawing is the win/win for everyone.

Tell that to the Crimeans. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/18/six-years...

This is the first time I've ever heard a Russia apologist even try to call it "Ukraine's war". Almost like it's a surprise Ukraine fought back when Russia invaded.

Even Putin was honest enough to call it an invasion and limited his lies to attempts to justify it.

Yes retaliation for sanctions can be expected. But Russia is still the bad actor here.

Call a Russia apologist someone else.

As stated, I support both supporting Ukraine and the sanctions.

That doesn't make our policy makers any less ridiculous and short sighted in their expectations.

In retrospect I suspect you might be a non-native English speaker? ("Call a Russia apologist someone else" would normally be written "Call someone else a Russian apologist").

In English "Ukraine's war" give the ownership of the war to Ukraine, making them responsible for it.

If this isn't your intent then good, and I apologize for calling you a Russian apologist.

This. It’s quite saddening to realise Western people are as brainwashed by govts and media as much as the Russians are.

This isn't the first time they weaponized their assets - just the first time against the west.

Countries neighbouring Russia dealt with similar issues multiple times already.

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