www.military.com/...
I read this part of the story and stopped in my tracks — I sure heard they had maybe 100 thousand troops on the border with Ukraine — oh no — 175 thousand and growing.
I don’t think that is just a negotiating tactic. Looks more like they are getting seriously ready to go.
Russia's military buildup along Ukraine's borders, already about one hundred seventy-five thousand strong and counting, is Putin's unequivocal message to the United States and its European allies that Moscow is determined to use all political, economic, and military means at its disposal to carve out an undisputed sphere of influence reconstituted around the Eastern Slavic core of the former Russian empire.
There is actually a linked article in this about hybrid attacks Russia is doing against Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania (and those are the hot buttons along with Poland of course) our NATO allies that are dead in the middle between Russia and their key base at Kaliningrad. They effectively cut Russia off from that base. They sure want it back at least as much as they needed Crimea. It is written by John Bolton — and he has a point. I can’t believe I am saying this, but I think he is probably right in this.
“In fact, Putin is pursuing a macro strategy throughout Russia’s “near abroad,” while the West’s approach is micro. Never forget Putin’s lamentation about the USSR dissolving, or that thirty years ago observers said of now-Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, “he’s not a Communist, he’s a czarist.”
I am not saying they will definitely attack — but it sure looks like they really might. Looks a lot more possible than the shit I read about how this is just a negotiating game.
There is more too, Russia is demanding an immediate meeting with NATO now. They seem to think Germany is not going to be a big help for NATO with the pipeline deal they made with them. In fact, it appears Germany stopped an arms shipment to Ukraine today.
If they think NATO will look the other way if they move seriously against Eastern Ukraine — why wouldn’t they? In truth — what is it that Putin really wants — is it really to reconstitute the USSR?
Does Putin calculate the US is too screwed up to respond right now?? He may be right. What would he have to lose if he did compared to what he might gain in the big picture?
I think this deserves a lot more coverage. I want to know what our senior military is REALLY thinking. What are they really seeing. I do think we better do stronger things than just sanctioning them a lot more. They really may not care. Not if they have a bigger aim in all this.