This isn't gonna just stop with Ukraine.

[imanamerican63]

Putin is going to go after everything he can! He doesn’t care about anyone or his own country. We may not get into a World War but it will come awfully close and we could see problems here in the states. Especially if Trump and his puppets spew their Putin rhetoric! Yes, I am worried what the outcome will be and we all should be too

[empedocles]

1. I would like to see putin's face, with a comically small hitler moustache -

distributed widely, so 'the masses' everywhere can understand putin.

I anticipate a 'lightning invasion' ala adolph.

[PortTack]

2. Then he will face the might of NATO, which he knows he can't win.

JMHO he doesn’t care. He’s lost his mind!

[Blaukraut]

3. What might of NATO? They can't even bring themselves to agree on sanctions

And they're terrified if the make Putin too mad, he might use nukes. So NATO is waving its collective fist at Russia and not much else.

[PSPS]

16. Don't kid yourself. NATO would handily crush the russian army.

Most NATO countries have been to this rodeo before and they would collectively hand Putin his ass. He knows this and won't likely attack any NATO country. More importantly, the oligarchs, whose support is the only reason Putin is in power, wouldn't allow it because it would jeopardize their wealth and privilege.

We should have followed Patton's advice 77 years ago.

[PortTack]

20. Exactly..those that don't think so are completely uninformed

[WarGamer]

22. ahhhh yes...

The Germans are the only decent people left in Europe. It's a choice between them and the Russians, I prefer the Germans. We may have been fighting the wrong enemy all along. But while we're here, we should go after the bastards now, 'cause we're gonna have to fight 'em eventually.

George S Patton

[BlackSkimmer]

40. People believed the mighty US Forces would crush North Vietnam.

Didn’t work out that way.

[PSPS]

41. Um, NATO played no role in Vietnam.

[BlackSkimmer]

43. People are talking about the difference in men and materiel.

But ymmv.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

42. Not comparable at all,

this wouldn't be a guerrilla war like Vietnam was, this would be two armies confronting each other and NATO would hand Russia it's ass in a conventional war.

[radius777]

57. Bingo, and all we really need to do to defeat Russia,

is to ramp up the arms race and heavily arm every NATO country as well as expanding the alliance. Combined with the sanctions it will cripple their economy and drop the Putin regime.

Russia is an oil/gas oligarchy with a big military - but is fairly weak economically otherwise.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

62. And you can bet the farm that once the sanctions

start taking a bite out of the real rulers of Russia, ie: the Oligarchs, there will be some serious doubts about Putin's ability to survive their wrath.

[radius777]

54. NATO was highly effective to stop the Bosnian genocide

in the 90s, where Bill Clinton went around the UN to get around Russia.

In recent years, especially due to Trump, NATO was in disarray.

But this act of Russian aggression is historic - and has strongly united NATO - the most powerful military alliance in the history of the world.

NATO countries have a combined GDP of $42 trillion. Russia has a GDP of $2 trillion.

Basically this is the beginning of another Cold War and arms race where NATO will show Russia it has no chance - especially as the sanctions cripple their economy.

[Chuuku Davis]

14. NATO is impotent

Militarily nowadays.

[PSPS]

17. LOL. Ok, pal. Whatever you say.

Putin knows that if he attacks a NATO country, that will be his end.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

26. ...

You have no fucking clue what your fucking talking about.

[11 Bravo]

32. What an absurdly uninformed comment.

The combined military might of NATO literally dwarfs that of Russia.

[Chuuku Davis]

63. I was refrring to the will to fight,

Not the equipment and manpower.
Germany and the USA specifically will hold NATO back.

[bdamomma]

19. yes

Putin has lost his mind, reverting back to 1919.

[uponit7771]

50. +1

[Ohio Joe]

4. Exactly where else do you see him invading?

Maybe Moldova... But probably not for a while. I don't see him going anywhere else... What are you thinking?

[qazplm135]

5. Baltics

He'll invade and threaten nukes and the west will back down.

[Ohio Joe]

8. They are NATO...

He would face all NATO nations, no chance and the nuke idea does not hold water in my book.

[qazplm135]

24. We will see

.

[Ohio Joe]

35. I see President Biden as strong of will...

And it sure looks to me that he has unified NATO... I guess you see it different

[qazplm135]

36. Has nothing to do with Biden

Just like refusal to take away SWIFT isn't on Biden either.

It's about Europe.

[Ohio Joe]

38. It is too early to cut them off from SWIFT...

That would be a declaration of war and NATO is not at that point right now. I think it is silly to even think it should be.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

27. Take your defeatist bullshit elsewhere,

it's not wanted here.

[qazplm135]

28. Defeatist?

Nothing defeatist about recognizing Europe might view Estonia just a wee bit differently than Germany or UK.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

31. I stand by what I said,

take your defeatist bullshit elsewhere, Pres. Biden has unified NATO and they will fight if Putin decides to escalate and attack a NATO country, that has been made crystal clear to Putin, and the oligarchs will not allow Putin to launch any nukes, it would upset their many money making schemes.

[qazplm135]

37. Oligarchs

Don't have buttons and the threat alone will cause Europe to reconsider.


Has nothing to do with Biden.

[BGBD]

39. Putin has a button

But he knows if he presses it he's dead before he sees if the missiles even hit.

So unless he's willing to commit suicide over Estonia then he's not going to push it.

[qazplm135]

46. You're assuming

He sees it that way or he isn't willing.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

47. And you're assuming that the actual rulers or Russia,

the Oligarchs, would allow him to order a nuclear strike.

[qazplm135]

48. They stop him how

It's not like he's going to call them up before and say hey guys I'm gonna use nukes what do you think?

[MarineCombatEngineer]

49. You're naive as hell if you think that the Oligarchs don't have someone

in his inner circle just watching him, unless Russia itself is invaded, hardly likely, then they will give Putin his 9 grams of lead.

Nuclear war is detrimental to their criminal activities that earn them billions of dollars and they don't want to see that interrupted.

[radius777]

58. Backing down is not an option, article 5 will be invoked

and NATO will bring down the forces of hell upon Russia. Putin knows this and will never enter NATO territory - which Biden and Harris have said repeatedly that the US/NATO will defend every inch of.

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_110496.htm
Collective Defence - Article 5
The principle of collective defence is at the very heart of NATO’s founding treaty. It remains a unique and enduring principle that binds its members together, committing them to protect each other and setting a spirit of solidarity within the Alliance.

[TheRealNorth]

6. Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan....

Although I think the latter 2 might already be "client states" of Russia already.

I don't think he will try to challenge NATO itself in the near future. There are still a lot of non-NATO former Soviet Republics left to invade. Plus, if Putin can help get right-winger Russiqn sympathizers in-charge in France, Germany, or here in the U.S......

That would make the chance of success much better.

[Ohio Joe]

9. I believe they are as well...

How would he hold Georgia? He barely has enough troops to hold Ukraine.

[TheRealNorth]

30. Probably not too hard...

the city of Kiev has more people then all of Georgia.

[PSPS]

21. None of those is in NATO

https://www.nato.int/nato-on-the-map

You are right that they are all puppet regimes the same as Ukraine will now become.

[TomSlick]

7. I don't know what Blaukraut is thinking but

I'm thinking Putin means to restore the Soviet empire - either by annexation or the installation of puppet governments. He will not honor a country's border simply because they are members of NATO. The order of his planned attacks is known only to Putin but there is a plan.

[Ohio Joe]

10. I don't see him attacking any NATO country...

He is a dictator, but he does not have unlimited resources, he cannot win WW3.

[marie999]

11. Nobody wins WWIII.

[Ohio Joe]

12. Agreed

That is why he will not try to fight it.

[TomSlick]

52. You are assuming Putin is a rationale actor. I hope you are correct.

President Biden and I are not convinced.

Like President Biden, I believe Putin is intent on restoring the boarders of the Soviet empire. I believe that Putin is unconvinced that the US and Germany will live up to its Article 5 obligations if he attacks the newer NATO members.

Given the RW adoration for Putin and the frequent LW aversion to war - all war, no matter the justification or necessity - Putin may be correct.

[uponit7771]

56. +1, Pootin is officially in my Bat Shit Crazy category and I don't see Russians going along with it

[TomSlick]

61. I hope you are correct.

However, Putin is a former KGB officer and current dictator. He will not gladly suffer dissent.

[TomSlick]

53. Sorry, I managed to post something twice.

Last edited Thu Feb 24, 2022, 09:01 PM - Edit history (1)

[WarGamer]

23. Moldova is Kremlin-friendly already

[Ohio Joe]

34. ahhh, my mistake then...

I'm still playing catch-up on relations of all the countries in that part of the world.

[Lancero]

59. They were, prior to 2020. They became a lot closer to the EU after PAS took over.

[JCMach1]

13. Our response also signals how we will deal with dictators. Taiwan

Is the biggest chip at stake here

[jalan48]

15. Yep. And let's hope the dictatorship known as China doesn't use the opportunity to invade Taiwan.

Perhaps we are in the process of seeing a worldwide, geopolitical realignment.

[uponit7771]

55. +1

[bdamomma]

18. well

Putin is signing his own death certificate, don't dick-tators usually get killed or take their lives.

Such a bastard, short man syndrome.

[gldstwmn]

25. He would only need to look in the direction of a NATO

country. It would be over in a matter of hours.

[budkin]

29. He will set his sights on each territory from the former USSR and...

If anyone tries to stop him he will threaten them with nuclear weapons.

[maxsolomon]

33. The slope isn't as slippery as you imagine.

He will not annex the Baltic States; that ship has sailed as they're in NATO.

Finland will soon join NATO in response to this incursion.

Belarus is already practically annexed; Lukashenko effectively a puppet.

Molodva? Maybe. The Caucasus nations? Maybe.

I don't see the Central Asian Republics being annexed, as long as they don't really allow that awful Democracy.

It's really Ukraine that galls him. They're the Alexi Navalny of former Soviet Republics.

[Quixote1818]

45. I agree. Most of what I have been reading the past few weeks lines up with what you have said.

Unless China gets somehow pulled into all this it will probably stop with Ukraine at least for a number of years.

[Quixote1818]

44. I don't think Russia has the money to keep attacking countries

and most of them are much better armed than Ukraine.

[uponit7771]

51. Hitler didn't either, the economy of Germany was smaller than Russia's when he attacked Poland

[GoodRaisin]

60. I don't think so.

I think he is mainly trying to strike and secure Ukraine before it becomes NATO.