> There is no "dehumanizing portrayal of Russians" in the West
This is such a big topic, I'll stick to one narrow example, the accepted tone of discussion here on HN. Consider for a moment the plight of the Arabs in Palestine. They clearly have something to complain about in their treatment by Israel. However, we recognize a difference between complaining about Israel and expressions of anti-Semitism. One is accepted on HN and the other is not. Returning to the case of Russians, for a few years now, there has been a regular stream of Russo-phobic commenting on HN that doesn't get called out. When you see people making these kinds of comments about Russians, try replacing "Russians" with "Jews" and see how it sounds.
> Russian sources, reported that...the common sentiment on the street was one of jubilation.
So, what formed the outlook of Russians to make this the case? The trend here and around the West is to attribute it to some combination of economic factors and disinformation. Again, I'll point to one factor that is ignored. Since the independence of Ukraine, ethnic Russians there have suffered considerable abuse from the state and at local level. There is a 2008 article in The International Journal of Human Rights that gives some horrific details.[1] Consider that Russians have been hearing stories like this about the Ukraine for 30 years. With that perspective, you can see how someone could think this war is genuinely a fight for justice.
This is such a big topic, I'll stick to one narrow example, the accepted tone of discussion here on HN. Consider for a moment the plight of the Arabs in Palestine. They clearly have something to complain about in their treatment by Israel. However, we recognize a difference between complaining about Israel and expressions of anti-Semitism. One is accepted on HN and the other is not. Returning to the case of Russians, for a few years now, there has been a regular stream of Russo-phobic commenting on HN that doesn't get called out. When you see people making these kinds of comments about Russians, try replacing "Russians" with "Jews" and see how it sounds.
> Russian sources, reported that...the common sentiment on the street was one of jubilation.
So, what formed the outlook of Russians to make this the case? The trend here and around the West is to attribute it to some combination of economic factors and disinformation. Again, I'll point to one factor that is ignored. Since the independence of Ukraine, ethnic Russians there have suffered considerable abuse from the state and at local level. There is a 2008 article in The International Journal of Human Rights that gives some horrific details.[1] Consider that Russians have been hearing stories like this about the Ukraine for 30 years. With that perspective, you can see how someone could think this war is genuinely a fight for justice.
[1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1364298080239683...