There ain't no war but class war. The reason America and other democracies around the world are failing to stand up to Russia is because the oligarchs of those democracies are jealous of Russian oligarchs.
Being a billionaire in Russia grants you the power and resources of the state. You can openly murder members of the press, forever imprison the political opposition, bury activists, and crush your workers for trying to unionize. And all you have to do is kiss one ring, that's it.
Then you can continue destroying the country and turning it into a machine that kills the poor, while you sip on your drink on a beach in Thailand.
I don't think Putin owns Trump because he's been compromised in some way, he and other rich people just like the way Putin runs things. So long as you're loyal you get to do whatever you want.
Eh..... Just because I recognize class war when I see it doesn't mean I don't support Ukraine's right to independence.
It was the Russian oligarchs who started the war and should receive the lion's share of blame for the deaths of both Ukrainian and Russian civilians. Russia is clearly a more hierarchical and violent government than just about any nation in the world, and I won't strip away the Ukrainian people's autonomy and right to choose the future they will.
Indeed, it can be tricky. I think the "all out war against the freedom of the masses" could be traced back at least to the Colorado Labor Wars. It certainly kicked up a notch once the URSS formed, too.