re: #299 steve_davis

Is it part of a long term plan? Or is it the last desperate desperado from someone who can see the writing on the wall? After all, if this fails, there will be several new nato members and a rearmed Germany to contend with. So this is no small decision on Russia’s part, and yet upwards of 5000 dead russian soldiers so far suggests the decision was more desperate impulse rather than coldly calculated realpolitik.

Putin’s long-term goal is to re-unite the old Russian/Soviet empire. He obviously decided he needed the Slavic core of Russia/Belarus/Ukraine to kick off the move before expanding it to the Baltic, Caucasus and Central Asian republics.

He has written and spoken on this topic repeatedly and anyone familiar with him cannot claim to be surprised.

It does seem, though, that things got off to a disastrous start. I also think that he is too deliberate and cold-blooded a planner to let himself be thrown off by these setbacks.

He clearly has little regard for human life and human suffering, even for his own people, and that makes him dangerous.