Let’s bracket the “was the USSR in the right?” question, and let’s ask the “how brutal was the Soviet clampdown on these two uprisings?”

• 1956 Hungary: 2000-3000 killed by the USSR
• 1968 Prague: 137 killed by the USSR

How does this compare to clampdowns by NATO countries (excluding the US)?

• Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch: 100 000 Indonesians killed by the Dutch

• Algerian War of Independence: 250 000 killed by the French (French estimate) - 1.5 Million (Algerian estimate)

• French War against Vietnamese Independence: 200 000 dead

• Portuguese Colonial Wars: 70,000–110,000 civilians killed by Portugal

• Mau Mau Uprising against the UK: "Officially the number of Mau Mau and other rebels killed was 11,000, including 1,090 convicts hanged by the British administration. The Kenya Human Rights Commission has said 90,000 Kenyans were executed, tortured or maimed during the crackdown, and 160,000 were detained in appalling conditions. "

This is a non-exhaustive list with estimates. The actual brutality is not conveyed. The war crimes are often comparable to the Waffen SS.
You get the idea: the colonial powers were incomparably worse.

I want to end the war diplomatically, but only next year. Sorry, but some of our people need to die until I do what I already decided to do

It comes as German chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Mr Putin for the first time in nearly two years.

The German leader urged Mr Putin to pull his forces out of Ukraine and begin talks with Kyiv that would open the way for a “just and lasting peace”, the German government said.

The move was swiftly criticised by Mr Zelensky, who said the call had opened a “Pandora’s box” by undermining efforts to isolate the Russian leader.

“Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words,” said Mr Zelensky in his evening address on Friday. “And this is exactly what Putin has long wanted: it is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation and to conduct ordinary negotiations.”

Diplomacy in 2024 is bad actually. Only next year!

Truly the hero of our time.

The Russian ruling class would need to disabuse themselves of neoliberal dogmas

and the EU vassals went with it blindly