Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

dustyowl29 said:Honestly, I’d take a prison sentence over being stuck on a front line like that any day of the week.

There are plenty of ways to avoid dying in combat just to satisfy someone else's delusions of grandeur.

The newly annexed territories are set to be dubbed the "Crimean Federal District"

"
Word on the street—via Vedomosti, citing insiders over at the Federation Council and folks close to the local government in Crimea—is that the former head of NASA, Dmitry Rogozin, might just land a massive gig as the special envoy for this whole new "Crimean Federal District" setup. This whole thing is being carved out following those referendums in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, and the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia currently held by the Russian Federation military forces.

Basically, once they wrap up these referendums, we’re looking at the birth of a brand-new federal district encompassing all the territory reclaimed by the Russian Federation and Crimea.

This new entity will officially go by the name Crimean Federal District, and get this—Dmitry Rogozin could be stepping in as the presidential envoy leading the charge.

https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog..._x_tr_pto=wapp

Watching Simonyan and Solovyov wail on state-run news about how nobody is stepping up to the front lines—as if we aren't sending plenty of seasoned veterans—is almost pathetic. Instead, they just keep targeting single mothers, college students, and the elderly.
Who’s actually responsible for this mess? It’s those "commanding officers."
The commanders are busy taking bribes; apparently, you can just pay five million rubles to have your name wiped clean from the mobilization rolls.
People end up going into debt just to afford a basic Kalashnikov...

velvetcanyon20 said:It’s deeply irrational. Honestly, it’s gotten to the point where if you look at any serious geopolitical writer from the last two decades, they’ve all basically argued that the only way to truly weaken Russia is by forcing them into this exact conflict with Ukraine.

The moment those paratroopers started dropping, I remember thinking... that was the day Russia lost.
There’s just no realistic way to hold 40 million people against their will without a massive logistical backbone.
For Russia, territory has always functioned as their defensive depth—a sort of buffer zone.
But looking at the numbers? Nothing is going their way. They don't have the population base, and their economy isn't up to the task.

We really ought to be looking at deeper analyses—the kind that project out twenty years or more.
It’s obvious the Americans are putting immense pressure on them. Perhaps there was a deep-seated belief in Moscow that this was a "now or never" window—a chance to make a move that would secure their standing for the next fifty years or so.

Sadly for them, the Americans are reading the room too. It’s clear to everyone that Putin is essentially a disciple of Dugin and his theories. Today's Russian rhetoric sounds exactly like Dugin back in 1997...
And back then, he was adamant that without "resolving" Ukraine, there's no point in even discussing continental politics. And well... here we are.

I mean, look, I don't know if everyone agrees with me here—and maybe I'm totally off base—but the whole idea that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was just some completely irrational, senseless outburst? I don't think it's quite that simple...

I mean, I guess you could say he’s being rational if you look at it from a certain angle—like, Russia sees itself as this major regional power, maybe even something that’s leaning toward becoming a global military heavyweight—so they want to carve out this sort of "buffer zone" between themselves and NATO... and that buffer zone would basically end up being, more or less, the territory of Ukraine.

I mean, I guess it’s pretty obvious to everyone at this point that the West is basically poking the bear—like, they're actively provoking Russia by having NATO practically surround almost all of their borders, or at least getting incredibly close to them... and then, supposedly, they have no intention of sitting down at the table for any kind of negotiations with Russia regarding all of this. It just seems like a recipe for disaster, honestly.

So, here’s the thing—there's another layer to this whole mess. Russia's execution of this military action—or let's call it what it actually is, an invasion of Ukraine—has been incredibly clunky. From a purely tactical standpoint, Russia has basically turned out to be a paper tiger—at least when you're looking at their conventional hardware. It’s like, they just aren't capable of seizing large swaths of Ukraine and actually maintaining control over them... which really makes you wonder. I mean, was Putin and his entire inner circle fully aware of these massive shortcomings before they ever decided to launch this aggression against Ukraine? I guess we might never know for sure, but it's a huge question mark.

All things considered, I honestly feel like this whole Russian aggression thing is going to end up being absolutely devastating for Russia—both on the battlefield and when it comes to their economy... I mean, looking at the big picture, it probably would have been way better for them if they had just played ball and tried some actual diplomacy with the West instead of all this.

Lisa Jackson7 said:I have no clue when or how that happens... anyway, forget comparing this to things back home... let's look at Poland instead.
Man, I really wish I was wrong... but honestly? We're looking at decades, not years, to catch up.
We're teetering on the edge of a global recession while everyone expects military spending to keep climbing. You can't have your cake and eat it too—it's impossible to fund tanks and butter at the same time.

It’s like that old saying goes: if you don't spend your money on tanks, you'll end up spending it feeding someone else's army.

placidsurfer13 said:I mean, look, I don't know if everyone agrees with me here—and maybe I'm totally off base—but the whole idea that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was just some completely irrational, senseless outburst? I don't think it's quite that simple...

I mean, I guess you could say he’s being rational if you look at it from a certain angle—like, Russia sees itself as this major regional power, maybe even something that’s leaning toward becoming a global military heavyweight—so they want to carve out this sort of "buffer zone" between themselves and NATO... and that buffer zone would basically end up being, more or less, the territory of Ukraine.

I mean, I guess it’s pretty obvious to everyone at this point that the West is basically poking the bear—like, they're actively provoking Russia by having NATO practically surround almost all of their borders, or at least getting incredibly close to them... and then, supposedly, they have no intention of sitting down at the table for any kind of negotiations with Russia regarding all of this. It just seems like a recipe for disaster, honestly.

So, here’s the thing—there's another layer to this whole mess. Russia's execution of this military action—or let's call it what it actually is, an invasion of Ukraine—has been incredibly clunky. From a purely tactical standpoint, Russia has basically turned out to be a paper tiger—at least when you're looking at their conventional hardware. It’s like, they just aren't capable of seizing large swaths of Ukraine and actually maintaining control over them... which really makes you wonder. I mean, was Putin and his entire inner circle fully aware of these massive shortcomings before they ever decided to launch this aggression against Ukraine? I guess we might never know for sure, but it's a huge question mark.

All things considered, I honestly feel like this whole Russian aggression thing is going to end up being absolutely devastating for Russia—both on the battlefield and when it comes to their economy... I mean, looking at the big picture, it probably would have been way better for them if they had just played ball and tried some actual diplomacy with the West instead of all this.

Look, we could have been having this exact conversation way before everything kicked off, but honestly, here we are. The reality is pretty simple: those neighbors of Russia—I’m talking about places like the Baltic states—they were always going to go looking for some kind of security blanket and a massive buffer zone to keep Russia at arm's length. I mean, let's be real for a second, if Russia wasn't the unpredictable force that it is, would their neighbors even feel this constant, nagging sense of dread and instability? Probably not, right?

Look, if you really want to wrap your head around the Russian way of thinking, you have to realize that the invasion wasn't some crazy, irrational fever dream in their eyes. It’s more likely that the Kremlin leadership actually swallowed their own propaganda hook, line, and sinker. They genuinely convinced themselves that Kyiv was just crawling with these radical extremists and that the regular folks there would be out in the streets welcoming them with open arms and flower garlands, you know? I mean, does anyone even remember those early comments from Putin? He was basically standing there calling the Ukrainian military a bunch of "junkies and Nazis," telling them they should just step aside and let the "real" leaders take over. It’s wild how much people can believe their own lies when they hear them enough times, isn't it?

placidsurfer13 said:I mean, look, I don't know if everyone agrees with me here—and maybe I'm totally off base—but the whole idea that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was just some completely irrational, senseless outburst? I don't think it's quite that simple...

I mean, I guess you could say he’s being rational if you look at it from a certain angle—like, Russia sees itself as this major regional power, maybe even something that’s leaning toward becoming a global military heavyweight—so they want to carve out this sort of "buffer zone" between themselves and NATO... and that buffer zone would basically end up being, more or less, the territory of Ukraine.

I mean, I guess it’s pretty obvious to everyone at this point that the West is basically poking the bear—like, they're actively provoking Russia by having NATO practically surround almost all of their borders, or at least getting incredibly close to them... and then, supposedly, they have no intention of sitting down at the table for any kind of negotiations with Russia regarding all of this. It just seems like a recipe for disaster, honestly.

So, here’s the thing—there's another layer to this whole mess. Russia's execution of this military action—or let's call it what it actually is, an invasion of Ukraine—has been incredibly clunky. From a purely tactical standpoint, Russia has basically turned out to be a paper tiger—at least when you're looking at their conventional hardware. It’s like, they just aren't capable of seizing large swaths of Ukraine and actually maintaining control over them... which really makes you wonder. I mean, was Putin and his entire inner circle fully aware of these massive shortcomings before they ever decided to launch this aggression against Ukraine? I guess we might never know for sure, but it's a huge question mark.

All things considered, I honestly feel like this whole Russian aggression thing is going to end up being absolutely devastating for Russia—both on the battlefield and when it comes to their economy... I mean, looking at the big picture, it probably would have been way better for them if they had just played ball and tried some actual diplomacy with the West instead of all this.

By pulling off this annexation, Russia basically just tossed any hope of ever building a decent, functional relationship with Ukraine right into the trash, didn't they? I mean, seriously, what were they thinking? Now they’re just left staring at a hostile, heavily armed neighbor right on their doorstep, and honestly, it feels like they just dug their own grave while everyone watched. How do you even come back from a move like that? You don't. You just end up stuck with a permanent enemy staring you down.

Kimberly Perez82 said:Look, if you’re going to be serious about this, please—don't just sit there guessing on your own! Go read some actual American analysts instead. If Russia annexes Donbas while the Ukrainians, bolstered by the USA, continue fight, then Putin might actually follow through on those threats and drop a tactical nuke on Ukraine just to scare them straight—especially since he'll likely frame it as a defense against an attack on Russian territory. But the Americans have already stated they will respond, and their experts are predicting a rapid nuclear escalation that could lead to 90 million casualties, mostly over in Europe. So, cheers to your amateur analysis.

The best move is to just push all the way to Lisbon—then he won't dare drop a nuke. He even mentioned wanting to head over there with the military in a few days.

placidsurfer13 said:I mean, look, I don't know if everyone agrees with me here—and maybe I'm totally off base—but the whole idea that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was just some completely irrational, senseless outburst? I don't think it's quite that simple...

I mean, I guess you could say he’s being rational if you look at it from a certain angle—like, Russia sees itself as this major regional power, maybe even something that’s leaning toward becoming a global military heavyweight—so they want to carve out this sort of "buffer zone" between themselves and NATO... and that buffer zone would basically end up being, more or less, the territory of Ukraine.

I mean, I guess it’s pretty obvious to everyone at this point that the West is basically poking the bear—like, they're actively provoking Russia by having NATO practically surround almost all of their borders, or at least getting incredibly close to them... and then, supposedly, they have no intention of sitting down at the table for any kind of negotiations with Russia regarding all of this. It just seems like a recipe for disaster, honestly.

So, here’s the thing—there's another layer to this whole mess. Russia's execution of this military action—or let's call it what it actually is, an invasion of Ukraine—has been incredibly clunky. From a purely tactical standpoint, Russia has basically turned out to be a paper tiger—at least when you're looking at their conventional hardware. It’s like, they just aren't capable of seizing large swaths of Ukraine and actually maintaining control over them... which really makes you wonder. I mean, was Putin and his entire inner circle fully aware of these massive shortcomings before they ever decided to launch this aggression against Ukraine? I guess we might never know for sure, but it's a huge question mark.

All things considered, I honestly feel like this whole Russian aggression thing is going to end up being absolutely devastating for Russia—both on the battlefield and when it comes to their economy... I mean, looking at the big picture, it probably would have been way better for them if they had just played ball and tried some actual diplomacy with the West instead of all this.

Imagine the terror of having NATO right on your doorstep, especially when you already share a border with the USA in Alaska via the Bering Strait. It's a recipe for disaster.🙄

Gregory Newman2 said:Imagine the terror of having NATO right on your doorstep, especially when you already share a border with the USA in Alaska via the Bering Strait. It's a recipe for disaster.🙄

Honestly, watching Russia try to act like a superpower while its former imperial territories are joining the American military alliance is just straight-up humiliating. It isn't even about some actual, tangible threat, you know? Because let's face it—the exact same tactics Putin is using to scare people these days would basically serve as a foolproof guarantee against any kind of "American invasion" anyway.

placidsurfer13 said:I mean, look, I don't know if everyone agrees with me here—and maybe I'm totally off base—but the whole idea that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was just some completely irrational, senseless outburst? I don't think it's quite that simple...

I mean, I guess you could say he’s being rational if you look at it from a certain angle—like, Russia sees itself as this major regional power, maybe even something that’s leaning toward becoming a global military heavyweight—so they want to carve out this sort of "buffer zone" between themselves and NATO... and that buffer zone would basically end up being, more or less, the territory of Ukraine.

I mean, I guess it’s pretty obvious to everyone at this point that the West is basically poking the bear—like, they're actively provoking Russia by having NATO practically surround almost all of their borders, or at least getting incredibly close to them... and then, supposedly, they have no intention of sitting down at the table for any kind of negotiations with Russia regarding all of this. It just seems like a recipe for disaster, honestly.

So, here’s the thing—there's another layer to this whole mess. Russia's execution of this military action—or let's call it what it actually is, an invasion of Ukraine—has been incredibly clunky. From a purely tactical standpoint, Russia has basically turned out to be a paper tiger—at least when you're looking at their conventional hardware. It’s like, they just aren't capable of seizing large swaths of Ukraine and actually maintaining control over them... which really makes you wonder. I mean, was Putin and his entire inner circle fully aware of these massive shortcomings before they ever decided to launch this aggression against Ukraine? I guess we might never know for sure, but it's a huge question mark.

All things considered, I honestly feel like this whole Russian aggression thing is going to end up being absolutely devastating for Russia—both on the battlefield and when it comes to their economy... I mean, looking at the big picture, it probably would have been way better for them if they had just played ball and tried some actual diplomacy with the West instead of all this.

Now they’ve got Finland as a new NATO member right on their doorstep, 31 miles near St. Petersburg,
Look, everyone knows they didn't invade Ukraine over some nonsense about buffer zones. It’s really just that old dog Putin couldn't get over the collapse of the USSR and wanted to play Peter the Great, trying to round up his lost sheep to make sure he’s remembered in history just like him.
Except those sheep turned into wolves, and Putin isn't Peter the Great—he’s just an old man losing his grip.

placidsurfer13 said:I mean, look, I don't know if everyone agrees with me here—and maybe I'm totally off base—but the whole idea that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was just some completely irrational, senseless outburst? I don't think it's quite that simple...

I mean, I guess you could say he’s being rational if you look at it from a certain angle—like, Russia sees itself as this major regional power, maybe even something that’s leaning toward becoming a global military heavyweight—so they want to carve out this sort of "buffer zone" between themselves and NATO... and that buffer zone would basically end up being, more or less, the territory of Ukraine.

I mean, I guess it’s pretty obvious to everyone at this point that the West is basically poking the bear—like, they're actively provoking Russia by having NATO practically surround almost all of their borders, or at least getting incredibly close to them... and then, supposedly, they have no intention of sitting down at the table for any kind of negotiations with Russia regarding all of this. It just seems like a recipe for disaster, honestly.

So, here’s the thing—there's another layer to this whole mess. Russia's execution of this military action—or let's call it what it actually is, an invasion of Ukraine—has been incredibly clunky. From a purely tactical standpoint, Russia has basically turned out to be a paper tiger—at least when you're looking at their conventional hardware. It’s like, they just aren't capable of seizing large swaths of Ukraine and actually maintaining control over them... which really makes you wonder. I mean, was Putin and his entire inner circle fully aware of these massive shortcomings before they ever decided to launch this aggression against Ukraine? I guess we might never know for sure, but it's a huge question mark.

All things considered, I honestly feel like this whole Russian aggression thing is going to end up being absolutely devastating for Russia—both on the battlefield and when it comes to their economy... I mean, looking at the big picture, it probably would have been way better for them if they had just played ball and tried some actual diplomacy with the West instead of all this.

It isn't irrational at all.

Putin has made a very calculated realization regarding Ukraine's economic potential—specifically, those massive mineral wealth reserves and energy supplies located throughout Crimea and the Donbas.

He understands that Russia is essentially a hollow economy, a nation whose primary survival mechanism is selling energy to its wealthy neighbors in Europe, which is pretty much the ceiling for a state caught in that murky, mafia-style limbo between old-school communism and modern capitalism.

He also sees that the EU is pivoting toward renewable energy, a move that effectively drains Russian coffers.

All this rhetoric about a "corrupt West" and "Nazis" is really just noise designed to mask the actual reality: Russia faces certain ruin if Ukraine aligns too closely with Europe and cuts off those reliable energy revenues.
Without the oil and gas money, Russia is finished.

The only truly irrational part of this entire saga is the decision to crank up a decaying, corrupt military machine for the impossible task of conquering such a massive neighboring country.

People are always droning on about how NATO has somehow "encircled" Russia, but I honestly don't follow the logic there; why wouldn't these nations want protection against Russia in the first place?
The Baltic states are under no illusions—they know perfectly well that if they hadn't joined NATO, they’d be facing exactly what happened to Ukraine right now. You have Russian presence scattered across basically every former USSR state, and combined with that outside influence from Russia, they've been tearing through territories just like they did in Georgia, Moldova, and now Ukraine. I suspect Lithuania would be the very first target if they weren't in the alliance; that little corridor leading toward Kaliningrad would be a perfect opening.

We need a reality check here: aside from a few fringe groups in Asia and some puppet regime under Lukashenko, nobody actually wants anything more to do with Russia or Putin.

Gregory Newman2 said:Imagine the terror of having NATO right on your doorstep, especially when you already share a border with the USA in Alaska via the Bering Strait. It's a recipe for disaster.🙄

Well, okay, but that's just a natural boundary where the USA and the USSR used to live side-by-side...

The situation over in Europe is a whole different ballgame... I mean, it’s kind of like when the USSR tried to set up nuclear missiles over in Cuba, way too close to the US... obviously, the US wasn't going to just sit there and let that happen, you know? They couldn't allow it...

And it's pretty much the same deal now—Russia isn't going to want NATO sitting right on their doorstep... especially since, if you ask me, Putin is basically trying to rebuild a new USSR from scratch...

But, man, looking at how things are playing out, it seems like he really messed up, because now NATO is moving in right next to the borders of Finland and Sweden too...

placidsurfer13 said:Well, okay, but that's just a natural boundary where the USA and the USSR used to live side-by-side...

The situation over in Europe is a whole different ballgame... I mean, it’s kind of like when the USSR tried to set up nuclear missiles over in Cuba, way too close to the US... obviously, the US wasn't going to just sit there and let that happen, you know? They couldn't allow it...

And it's pretty much the same deal now—Russia isn't going to want NATO sitting right on their doorstep... especially since, if you ask me, Putin is basically trying to rebuild a new USSR from scratch...

But, man, looking at how things are playing out, it seems like he really messed up, because now NATO is moving in right next to the borders of Finland and Sweden too...

Let's be real, even if we ignore all the drama, the chances of Ukraine ever actually joining NATO with borders that aren't even settled yet were basically zero. They would have just been stuck as some "eternal candidate" forever.

wanderingdriver68 said:People are always droning on about how NATO has somehow "encircled" Russia, but I honestly don't follow the logic there; why wouldn't these nations want protection against Russia in the first place?
The Baltic states are under no illusions—they know perfectly well that if they hadn't joined NATO, they’d be facing exactly what happened to Ukraine right now. You have Russian presence scattered across basically every former USSR state, and combined with that outside influence from Russia, they've been tearing through territories just like they did in Georgia, Moldova, and now Ukraine. I suspect Lithuania would be the very first target if they weren't in the alliance; that little corridor leading toward Kaliningrad would be a perfect opening.

We need a reality check here: aside from a few fringe groups in Asia and some puppet regime under Lukashenko, nobody actually wants anything more to do with Russia or Putin.

And Mexico wants plenty to do with Putin. 😁

But, I guess that’s just how it looks from the perspective of those nations bordering Russia (the old USSR folks), but from the viewpoint of Russia and Putin, it’s a totally different story... they see NATO as this massive threat and won't tolerate them being nearby. They probably imagined they could just "divide" the world again, kind of like how the USA and the USSR used to do back in the day... but yeah, it looks like that isn't working out for them anymore.

placidsurfer13 said:I mean, look, I don't know if everyone agrees with me here—and maybe I'm totally off base—but the whole idea that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was just some completely irrational, senseless outburst? I don't think it's quite that simple...

I mean, I guess you could say he’s being rational if you look at it from a certain angle—like, Russia sees itself as this major regional power, maybe even something that’s leaning toward becoming a global military heavyweight—so they want to carve out this sort of "buffer zone" between themselves and NATO... and that buffer zone would basically end up being, more or less, the territory of Ukraine.

I mean, I guess it’s pretty obvious to everyone at this point that the West is basically poking the bear—like, they're actively provoking Russia by having NATO practically surround almost all of their borders, or at least getting incredibly close to them... and then, supposedly, they have no intention of sitting down at the table for any kind of negotiations with Russia regarding all of this. It just seems like a recipe for disaster, honestly.

So, here’s the thing—there's another layer to this whole mess. Russia's execution of this military action—or let's call it what it actually is, an invasion of Ukraine—has been incredibly clunky. From a purely tactical standpoint, Russia has basically turned out to be a paper tiger—at least when you're looking at their conventional hardware. It’s like, they just aren't capable of seizing large swaths of Ukraine and actually maintaining control over them... which really makes you wonder. I mean, was Putin and his entire inner circle fully aware of these massive shortcomings before they ever decided to launch this aggression against Ukraine? I guess we might never know for sure, but it's a huge question mark.

All things considered, I honestly feel like this whole Russian aggression thing is going to end up being absolutely devastating for Russia—both on the battlefield and when it comes to their economy... I mean, looking at the big picture, it probably would have been way better for them if they had just played ball and tried some actual diplomacy with the West instead of all this.

Right, because it's just so incredibly weird how all those countries bordering Russia used to have perfectly fine, friendly neighborly vibes going on, and Russia never once decided to invade them or carve up their territory for fun. But then, oh no, evil NATO rolls in and suddenly all these nations are just dying to join up with them.

placidsurfer13 said:Well, okay, but that's just a natural boundary where the USA and the USSR used to live side-by-side...

The situation over in Europe is a whole different ballgame... I mean, it’s kind of like when the USSR tried to set up nuclear missiles over in Cuba, way too close to the US... obviously, the US wasn't going to just sit there and let that happen, you know? They couldn't allow it...

And it's pretty much the same deal now—Russia isn't going to want NATO sitting right on their doorstep... especially since, if you ask me, Putin is basically trying to rebuild a new USSR from scratch...

But, man, looking at how things are playing out, it seems like he really messed up, because now NATO is moving in right next to the borders of Finland and Sweden too...

There’s one huge distinction here: the USSR put missiles in Cuba, but NATO hasn't done that in Ukraine.
Back then, there were only a handful of ICBMs out there, but today Russia has a massive stockpile, so they can comfortably hit whatever they want from within Russian territory.
Plus, Ukraine gave up its nukes; they aren't in NATO, nor have they actually applied for membership.
If you listen to one more of Putin's speeches from before the invasion, you'll realize he thinks Ukrainians don't even exist—they're just Belarusians—and it'll click for you that NATO has nothing to do with this attack. It's just classic imperialism.

gentlestag15 said:Now they’ve got Finland as a new NATO member right on their doorstep, 31 miles near St. Petersburg,
Look, everyone knows they didn't invade Ukraine over some nonsense about buffer zones. It’s really just that old dog Putin couldn't get over the collapse of the USSR and wanted to play Peter the Great, trying to round up his lost sheep to make sure he’s remembered in history just like him.
Except those sheep turned into wolves, and Putin isn't Peter the Great—he’s just an old man losing his grip.

Wait, so the USSR didn't have a buffer zone? I mean... what was the Warsaw Pact then, if not a giant buffer zone?

I think it's true that Putin's dream is to rebuild the USSR in some way, but since he can't quite pull off a whole new Warsaw Pact, he’s settling for grabbing Ukraine to use as a buffer... that’s why he went in. Though, I guess that's not even the only reason, right? Like someone else mentioned earlier, you've got all those natural resources and massive territories to consider too... it's complicated.

placidsurfer13 said:Wait, so the USSR didn't have a buffer zone? I mean... what was the Warsaw Pact then, if not a giant buffer zone?

I think it's true that Putin's dream is to rebuild the USSR in some way, but since he can't quite pull off a whole new Warsaw Pact, he’s settling for grabbing Ukraine to use as a buffer... that’s why he went in. Though, I guess that's not even the only reason, right? Like someone else mentioned earlier, you've got all those natural resources and massive territories to consider too... it's complicated.

What kind of buffer zone31 miles are we even talking about regarding St. Petersburg?
I mean, who in their right mind would ever attack Russia when they're sitting on an arsenal of 6,000 nukes?
Get real.

Russia has way more natural resources than they could ever actually sell, plus they've got more land than they’ll ever be able to fill up.
Honestly, the whole reason for this invasion is just Putin's massive ego—nothing else.