I agree with your assessment of what he's trying to do, but it's such a silly strategy. Everyone knows that if he launches one single nuclear weapon at any country... Russia will be annihilated.
Im hearing Ukraine IS going to meet to negotiate, and it's not humiliating, its intelligent. Russia is desperate. Time is if the essence. They need Ukraine to capitulate yesterday, and need it desperately. Negotiations kill time. Thats time Russia isnt attacking, but remains bleeding out. Humor them. String them along. Draw shit out. Commit to nothing, lose nothing.
Multiple sources have already reported that that Ukranian Regular Army forces have already killed the top Chechnyan General. Ukrainian regulars have already bloodied the Chechan fighters.
Don't think so. Under the terms of the sale they're required to request permission before modification. The more likely explanation is that they've already made the modifications are going through the formality of the request.
I hope the CIA has a great team of psychologists and behavioral analysts. Because what’s becoming clear is that Putin knows he miscalculated, hence either rising threats to try and bully his way out of it. And as a pretty clear narcissist and bully, the last thing he will do is allow the world to think he lost. He knows now even if he wins in Ukraine his country is going to be decimated by sanctions, so there isn’t a way out in the current climate. So for those folks I mentioned, the question becomes how do you let him save face without letting him win? Because even if it’s not nukes, he is going to go scorched earth to prove how smart and tough he is, or ruin as many people on his way out the door as he can.
I shouldn’t find that funny, because I’m ashamed at our lack of willingness to intervene militarily. But it is true and darkly humorous.
Russia won’t stop attacking during negotiations. Keeping Ukraine under military pressure while negotiating will part of their strategy.
How did I miss this? So in the different social media threads, etc, about teaching Ukrainians how to make Molotovs, a few are adding in the "don't forget the polystyrene". It makes the formula extra spicy.
Correct. And I think that’s an important message we need to be conveying. Loudly. It’s ludicrous to threaten us with nuclear weapons. We literally invented the doctrines of massive retaliation and mutually assured destruction. And unlike Russia, we know our stuff is accurate and works every time. By the way, the clearest sign to me that this is posturing by Putin is that apparently he just increased the readiness of his strategic forces a few hours ago, right? You’re seriously trying to convince me you didn’t do that an hour before you launched this war? Whatever. We won’t know for years to come, but I’ll bet we went DEFCON 3 the moment Russia crossed into Ukraine.
