El Chisme

In my country (and most western countries as well), there has been a cultural projection of demonizing russia and its populace since at least the end of the napoleonic war. What is progressive about helping further that project with more intellectually sound criticism of russia? I am not russian. Is that not in fact the cultural imperialism by the west that demands that even revolutionaries must use their words to further strengthen its reach?

The demand of the western left to be ever critical of revisionist and communist states before is ridiculous - culture is swamped with antagonism against them already. Its is an demand to ease western chauvinist narratives into our own. It is 2025 not 1914 - there are no "camps". It is a few states, many of which are not as independent of the us as many like to believe, against a global empire.

Even if every claim of Russian ebil oligarchy was real, to which many of the claims are bogus, at worst it is still an economically and militarily less-influential version of the US-NATO empire?

Surely, even if you were an anarchist or otherwise anti-nationalist on the left, you would see the historic importance of said US Empire suddenly biting off more than it can chew and being drawn into collapse?

I know there are exceptions like the A"C"P, but most people on the left I know that "support" Russia are just supporting the growing attrition and contradictions against the imperialist system. Those same people are all very aware of limitations and contradictions within the Russian, Chinese, Iranian states.

In short, you can't expect to win against the imperialists if every time the imperialists face a challenger you spend countless hours criticising the challenger's politics as if this wasn't already universally agreed within the statement critical support.