Given how Ukraine is mopping up with them right now, I don’t see a play here. Seems like antagonizing your big brother while you’re losing a fight with your little sister. It could be lack of creativity on my part but I can’t see any gains at all for Russia in attempting this.
Yeah that is the other one I hear. But if they are fighting NATO they are surely just going to see millions more dead and leave Russia as even more of a shithole.
That sounds almost mildly clever. Until you realize that even with the US, the rest of NATO has enough planes and missiles to turn everything with camo paint on it between the border and Moscow into a giant fireball.
Given how Ukraine is mopping up with them right now, I don’t see a play here. Seems like antagonizing your big brother while you’re losing a fight with your little sister. It could be lack of creativity on my part but I can’t see any gains at all for Russia in attempting this.
Most common theory I hear is they would feel better losing to NATO than losing to Ukraine.
I think it’s also so it becomes easier to announce a general draft
Yeah that is the other one I hear. But if they are fighting NATO they are surely just going to see millions more dead and leave Russia as even more of a shithole.
Does millions more dead matter?
That’s almost funny if true.
That sounds almost mildly clever. Until you realize that even with the US, the rest of NATO has enough planes and missiles to turn everything with camo paint on it between the border and Moscow into a giant fireball.
And then everything in Moscow
*without?
Indeed, without.
Russia like to prod and test boundaries. If they can get away with something without retaliation, a boundary has moved and it’s a small win for free.
This is the way of non-maritime empires since the beginning of time. Push at your borders until you meet resistance, endlessly.