The Ukraine war thread
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To understand Putin, then, requires comprehending the mindset of a predatory intelligence officer. Putin is like a shark who must keep moving to survive. Only in his case, the reason Putin is an object constantly in motion is to outrun his failures, change the narrative in his favor, and keep adversaries at bay. He deals with misfortune by doubling down and redirecting energy into even more sensational initiatives. It is not in his nature to pause, reflect, and thoughtfully adjust to changing circumstances, or be influenced by experts he should respect. Rather, Putin prides himself on the ability to shift on the fly and go it alone, without ever showing weakness, let alone fear. Putin will therefore be inclined to charge ahead with whatever might overshadow his misfortunes and make others forget the burning houses left in his wake. But the more he blusters and threatens, the more we know Putin is struggling, weak, and threatened. A dangerous time, yes, but one that also offers opportunities for the West.
Good SitRep on Putin’s mindset and how to respond to his escalation of the war:
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Saw that yesterday and meant to post it. Interesting indeed.
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@Mik said in The Ukraine war thread:
It lays out the situation pretty clearly. I hope our allies see it as clearly as we do.
NATO already said this is how they'd respond if a tactical nuke were to be dropped: no nukes on NATO's side, but yes, NATO is going to allow for Russian forces in Ukraine to be targeted directly and we're going to attack Russia in the black sea.
Who freaking knows whether or not Putin believes this, or cares.
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My bet is that he believes it though I am almost certain he does not in the least, care.
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Pentagon maintains Iranian military specialists in Crimea training Russians in drone deployment:
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@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
My bet is that he believes it though I am almost certain he does not in the least, care.
So you think he wants nuclear WWIII?
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The Ukraine war thread:
@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
My bet is that he believes it though I am almost certain he does not in the least, care.
So you think he wants nuclear WWIII?
No, he wants to reclaim all lands and territories that he believes are historically and rightfully belonging to Russia. It is, in his mind, an absolute truth.
Moreover he spelled it all out detail in July 2021. No one took the mythology seriously at the time but he meant every word of it. Here, have at it:
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@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
@Aqua-Letifer said in The Ukraine war thread:
@Renauda said in The Ukraine war thread:
My bet is that he believes it though I am almost certain he does not in the least, care.
So you think he wants nuclear WWIII?
No, he wants to reclaim all lands and territories that he believes are historically and rightfully belonging to Russia. It is, in his mind, an absolute truth.
Moreover he spelled it all out detail in July 2021. No one took the mythology seriously at the time but he meant every word of it. Here, have at it:
It's amazing to read that and then look back at the news footage of the ramp-up to this war. Everyone and their mother was saying they weren't really going to invade.
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That’s right, virtually no one, not even the experts thought he would invade.
On the other hand Putin’s thesis did spell out to those who read it that he held the West and open democracy in complete contempt. It also laid bare his paranoia wholly warped sense of history. At least that is how I read and understood it at the time. Up to that point I was not only open to some of Putin’s grievances with the West but also the Russian claim to Crimea. His written rant induced me to revisit his actions over the past twenty odd years and during the course of the ensuing months leading up to the invasion, I realized just how much I had been error.
Putin represents a truly malevolent idea and force in the world, there is no dispute about that any longer.
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Don’t know what it means or what gave rise to it but under the circumstances it can’t make things any worse than they are:
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My gut feeling is that it had more to do with the current NATO exercises in Europe, Iranian drone specialists in Crimea and recent incidents involving Russian and NATO aircraft in proximity to one another and designated airspace.
Carving up someone else’s country fall within the job descriptions of Heads of State and their respective Foreign Ministers and Sect’y s of State.
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If past actions are any indicator, the Kremlin is the process of blaming Ukraine and, by extension, NATO, for an operation Russia itself is planning to execute: