“Britain is a combatant and fair game”
Russia can’t even manage a war against Ukraine let alone take on all of NATO.
“Russia can’t even manage a war against Ukraine.”
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Well then, nobody should worry, Ukraine will kick Russia’s, China’s, Belarus’, Armenia’s, Kazakhstan’s, Kyrgyzstan’s, and Kyrgyzstan‘a ass and the world will be a better place, eh. Whew, that’s a relief.
“Russia can’t even manage a war against Ukraine let alone take on all of NATO.”
You are correct, which is why the Russians must provoke a wider war. If the Russians, in their “proportionate” response, raise the stakes to a nuclear free-for-all one of two things (in the Russian mindset) will result. One, the West will back off and Russia will eventually kill enough Ukrainians that they get the territory that they want*. Two, a really nasty response by the West, raising their raise, will allow Putin to back down and save face. He’ll portray himself as the selfless hero who saved the world from a nuclear holocaust.
* The Russians are betting the farm on the first option. They will blame the use of nuclear weapons on the West. Then they expect to use their mineral and oil wealth to create their own sphere of influence. They will probably create a new Iron Curtain as nobody will want to stay in a perpetually poor country. Gradually, more and more western countries will deal with them because the prices will be irresistible.