Originally Posted by
beardy
Self defence is a moral act and is enshrined in the concept of a Just War.
FWIW, as I read the political rhetoric coming out of Moscow, their move into Eastern Ukraine was (in part) justified within the broader self defense principle for those Russians in (Donbas, etc) who were in conflict with the government (depicted in the rhetoric as Nazis) in Kiev. If you look at the "we must help oppressed minorities/peoples/populations" justifications used in the last 40 years, you see in Kosovo, in Bosnia, in Somalia, in Kuwait (just to name a few) that same
style of justification. (Granted, each case has its own nuances and details).