Unfortulately, the other side is lying too. The US does have many more bases worldwide than Russia does. At least 25 of those bases they've been asked to leave by the countries they are sitting in. US was lied to about Iraq, and to some degree about Afghanistan. Viet Nam too. Why trust the new justification? The CIA has been proven to meddle in elections of other countries to a larger degree than anyone wants to admit. I'm sad for everyone involved in the conflict and wish them the best. And why is it that there are 211 human rights violatons in Ukraine? And what's the deal with Donbas? If they want to leave Ukraine why can't they? I feel the same as your friends and family inside Russia, that I don't know everything and life is complicated.