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kgeist | on: Trump wins presidency for second time
Putin himself is already tired of the war. He just doesn't see a way out where he can save the face. He wanted it to be a 3 day campaign, remember? I have doubts Putin is eager to start Ukraine War 2.0
geoka9 | parent | next
Russia wants a few years of respite, ideally without sanctions and with the Ukraine military stripped to the studs, so that its own military can regroup and finish the job in a few years. Once that happens, the rest of Eastern Europe will be next and the Ukrainians will be first in the meat wave attacks, just like their compatriots from Eastern Donbass in 2022 (it has been occupied by Russia since 2014 and by now the towns there are nearly void of male population).
cynicalpeace | root | parent
> the rest of Eastern Europe will be next

Do you have any evidence of these plans?

jiggawatts | root | parent
They literally showed them during the first days of the war.

There was a press conference where they accidentally showed a diagram with arrows continuing through Ukraine into Transnistria, which is Moldova's equivalent of the Donbass.

You have to be very ignorant of geopolitics to think that there aren't more countries like Ukraine that Russia would like to return to their empire.

Some might join voluntarily but many -- like Kazakhstan -- won't without a fight. Unlike Ukraine, most of the others are not conveniently next to Europe and hence will be impractical for western nations to support.

After Ukraine falls, Moldova is next, and then the various -stans will be rolled up in quick succession. This will create a Soviet Union 2.0, which will be a net positive for Russia, and a mixed bag for the rest of the world. It'll likely be a net negative for Europe, which is why they're supporting Ukraine now.

cynicalpeace | root | parent | next
So no?

"the rest of Eastern Europe" was the claim

jiggawatts | root | parent
Serbia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, and possibly even Hungary are all in eastern Europe and at non-zero risk of a repeat invasion by Russia.

Sure, not all of Eastern Europe is at risk.

So... is that okay then in your mind? As long as Putin only takes some of Europe, that's acceptable?

cynicalpeace | root | parent
I literally said if he takes Donbas and Crimea, yes that's worth it. You've failed to present any evidence he could take anything else except Transnistria which has already been defacto independent and considered under Russian occupation since 2022.
| root | parent
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nickpp | parent
Russian conquest wars in the last 30 years: Chechnya 1994–1996 and 1999–2009, Georgia 2008 (Abkhazia and South Ossetia) & Ukraine (2014 - today).

If Putin ever gets tired of war, he seems to quicky recover and start again.

| root | parent
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