To the traditional totalitarian formulations of “Battle is Peace”, “Freedom is Slavery” and “Ignorance is Energy”, add “Defeat is Victory.” Russia:
Requested if there was a contradiction between Putin’s rhetoric and the fact of retreat on the bottom, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned: “There isn’t any contradiction in anyway. They are going to be with Russia eternally and they are going to be returned.” The wording of the legal guidelines is unclear about what precise borders Russia is claiming for the annexed territories and Peskov declined to provide clear steering.
Contrarians in August (brusquely, haughtily): “Russia will ultimately mobilize and defeat Ukraine, so it ought to compromise and we should always cease serving to it.”
Contrarians in October (anxiously, earnestly): “Russia will ultimately mobilize and defeat Ukraine, so it ought to compromise and we should always cease serving to it.”
Possibly they’re proper. Let’s test in at Christmas!