Nobody has a right to tell anyone else not to join a group.

In 1995 the Ukrainian people changed the name to Kyiv to rid themselves of their Russian oppressors who had changed the name to Kiev long ago after first imperializing it.

They view Kiev as their Russian slave name since Russia changed the city’s name to Kiev when it first imperialized the Ukrainian people years and years ago.

Can you imagine breaking away from slavery (Russian imperialism) and simply wanting people to cal you by your chosen name, but instead people keep calling you by your old slave name that you hate?

That’s what’s happening with Kyiv/Kiev. Kiev is the old imperialist slave name that Russian statists changed it to after they imperialized the Ukrainian region.

Ukrainians simply want to be known as their chosen, independence name (Kyiv), not their Russian slave master name (Kiev).

If me and my family were our own independent nation and wanted to join NATO, Putin has no right to stop that, even if I am his neighbor and I have guns or tanks or things “he doesn’t like”.

No wonder Russia is near last in economic and social freedoms with a statist control freak authoritarian like Putin in charge. A guy who makes it so nobody can realistically run against him in elections.

The same guy who lied to the world that he wasn’t going to invade ukraine (because he had no real moral justification).

The same guy who heavily state-controls all news/media (way worse than the us govt).
The same guy who is allied with axis power communist countries.

…and some “libertarians” are dumb enough to fall for supporting this tyrant or acting like he is justified.