Meanwhile in Ukraine

[Smitty-48]

this has always been the danger with the Russians in general

they don't have the horses to compete with NATO conventionally

so if they ever actually went to war and got in over their heads

the only thing they have in the quiver then, is Nuclear Deescalation

take it right to the brink, Missile Crisis, to force NATO to the table on favorable terms

[Smitty-48]

but if I'm playing the Kremlin side

I would make things very clear to NATO

no bones about it

you kick us out of SWIFT ?

you embargo our oil ?

acts of war

the moment you do that, we are going to start cutting undersea cables, mining choke points

so this is the brink of war between us

what do you want to do ?

[Smitty-48]

like they can bring us down too

they can cut the Internet & close the SLOCs

we spiral into global financial crisis on the spot

[TheOneX]

Putin isn't insane he wants Ukraine not to destroy Russia in a war with NATO.

[Smitty-48]

we are talking about a regime which already used chemical & radiological weapons

to covertly strike targets on UK soil

the shit the Russians could do to cause chaos, even without brandishing their nukes, are legion

[Smitty-48]

Putin isn't insane he wants Ukraine not to destroy Russia in a war with NATO.

who says he is in control of this anymore ?

this appears to be things spiraling out of his control now, dictionary definition of

[Smitty-48]

why do you think Ukraine is going to stop ?

if the Russians falter and Ukraine gains the upper hand with NATO support ?

who says they are backing off ?

they can go on the offensive then, and are enraged enough to do it at this point

[Smitty-48]

don't you get it ?

Ukraine is not stopping now

they are going to keep going, until they take Crimea back

this is for all the marbles now, there is no negotiated settlement available, Ukraine is fighting to the death

[Smitty-48]

Putin can't back off now

Crimea is back in play now

if he backs off

Ukraine is going to pursue

they will keep coming

until they have the upper hand with NATO weapons

threatening to take Crimea back

then the Russian Black Sea Fleet is threatened

and that will be World War Three by definition

[Smitty-48]

this is not some intervention in the Middle East

this is war for national survival

in the homeland

on both sides

not just Ukraine, Russia too

one side or the other has to win this now

one side or the other has to win all the marbles now

and that is what makes this a real war right out of 1939 and outside the bounds of the Pax Americana