Ask them how they know that. Any proof or policy that Putin claims this is the goal? At the end of the day they are probably just repeating what they heard on TV from some host sitting behind a desk rather than from any Russian authority.
Yeah, usually when I ask them that they either say they heard it in the news (“Putin wants to reestablish the czarist empire for his legacy”), or they retort with racism (“that’s what Russians always do”)
Seriously though, how do y’all rebut this point of “if we don’t help Ukraine, XYZ country is next” to the average person claiming this?
Ask them how they know that. Any proof or policy that Putin claims this is the goal? At the end of the day they are probably just repeating what they heard on TV from some host sitting behind a desk rather than from any Russian authority.
Yeah, usually when I ask them that they either say they heard it in the news (“Putin wants to reestablish the czarist empire for his legacy”), or they retort with racism (“that’s what Russians always do”)