I have wondered for a while if Putin is dying. He doesn't look well and several commentators have remarked about it. In which case, I've wondered if conquering Ukraine could be a "bucket list" item for him, that needs to be done now. But today I watched an interview with the head of the last free radio station in Russia. This guy claims that Putin doesn't recognize Ukraine as a country, and feels that he is in a war with the U.S. Does anyone think he is just trying to draw us into a war with him? That that could be the bucket list item, not Ukraine? It would explain the slowness of his progression. Would also possibly indicate that he will (slowly) keep going until the U.S. explodes with collective frustration and gets into it? He seems crazier every day, so it's impossible to know what is going on in his head, or what he will do next, but just wondering if this theory holds any water.
I would think if he was wanting to draw us into war he would have timed it better than the US president who retreats soldiers so fast he leaves his citizens behind
I questioned his sanity in a few posts and others corrected me saying he is not insane as it's been his long-held dream to take back the Ukraine. I don't know but I don't believe invading and killing a bunch of people is the best approach to reunification. I lean toward healthy workable long-term solutions when problem-solving. With that said, brace yourself because...well, I think Put-Put and the Orange Stain planned this because every single time Biden exhales, the Orange Stain releases another Monday Morning quarterback play about how he is the ONLY infallible stable genius that can **fix** it all. What better way to campaign to do everything humanly possible to take down one's own government than to cause and/or create chaos constantly? Orange Jesus has never been pro-America or pro-American. He is angry he was fired and he has an infamous temper and long, long grudge list. He needs to punish all of us and he's hell bent on doing that even if it means MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). It's the same psychological defect behind people that don't hesitate to kill an ex (if I can't be with X, NOBODY can).
I don't think Putin is dying. Putin is old school. Think 1950s old school where Ukraine was part of the USSR. Putin has always believed that the USSR should be reunited and he sees himself as the person reuniting. I think he is getting impatient, clearly does not understand that Democracy, such as in Ukraine, will be fought for and that the culture of Ukraine is their own now. He is putting enourmous pressure for Ukraine to capitulate and does not want a repeart of 1989 when Russia left Afghanistan with ther tails between their legs. He does not want another Chechyna either. Thus, his war is to break the will of the people who still resist him, like in the old days of Sputnick and Yuri Gargarin where the world trembled when Russia did something.
Bless you for thinking it all comes down to one man, but no points other than for trying. This is about the East usurping the West. It's been in the works for years. They don't give a flying fart about individual Western nations ... it's a response to the collective collapse of Western civilisation. They've been watching and waiting - while we ate ourselves.
Yes it is possible he is trying to draw NATO into conflict in a manner where he can play them off as the aggressors. The ultimate aim is NATO dissolving. How he is planning to make it happen is anyone's guess. Could be hoping a NATO counterattack would give China enough concern to get involved too. Could be betting that American politics have become so divisive that his propaganda trolls will be able to start rebellion here if combined with higher fuel and food costs. Could be a combination of both. Or he could have also just miscalculated Ukraine's ability to resist, and is now engaging in the classic art of war by attempting to appear strong when you are weak. I should also note while it's interesting to consider his motivations it wouldn't be prudent to base our actions around them. Showing our strength means we act as we please whether that means engaging or not. It happens when we say.
I tend to think he will try and kill Zelensky, then sue for peace with a guarantee on not joining NATO, and a recognition of Donbass and Luhansk as independent (which will then be followed by annexation like Crimea). Who knows though, war is unpredictable.
