Because Ukraine is industry and population dense compared to the rest of Russian land. And we will have to see how far Putin goes. He may just try to take the entire country when the Ukrainian bases defend themselves when being evicted.
If that was the case why not just invade the Ukraine and take the whole nation?
Do not stop there, go ahead and take Poland and East Germany back as well.
I just do not see it.
It is not like Russia is land poor. They probably have more undeveloped land than any other nation in the world. Why take more land when you already have so much nobody is using?
You underestimate the Russian people.
Hitler did the same thing.
You underestimate the Russian people.
Hitler did the same thing.
Hitler army didnt have a vast technological edge the West holds over Russia. Also Hitlers Germany didnt have a vastly larger economy to fund their army. Hitlers army also had 1/3rd the population in which to draw troops. The combined economy of the EU + US is nearly 34 trillion dollars vs Russia's 2.6 trillion. Population wise it is 700 vs 143 million. And the one of the biggest and probably most important. Hitlers army had Hitler directing it while the West has qualified commanders.
So many differences.
Never underestimate the will of a determined people.
If your theory of money and technology were correct, explain Vietnam and Afghanistan.
What is there to explain? On the battlefield, which is what we are discussing our western army decimated the enemy.
Oh jesus. The EU/US is not trying to conquer and occupy Russia.
You underestimate the Russian people.
Hitler did the same thing.
If not for the military bases then what?
There is a method to the madness. Putin is not going to risk so much to only gain so little.
Never underestimate the will of a determined people.
If your theory of money and technology were correct, explain Vietnam and Afghanistan.
If anything Putin has played a very good hand. Russians are laughing right now since the punishment has been absurd. A few insignificant travel bans and no asset freezes on the oligarchs. Russia has lost nothing and gained everything. So far...
I think you could make a good argument that Russia's armed forces aren't drilled to work together either, haha.
Russia's army is effective against the small and weak states that directly border it. Things would not go well against a real military power in a conventional battle.
Crimea will cost Russia NOTHING unless we make it happen. It's really that simple. As of a few days Russian oligarchs dumped billions upon billions of dollars on foreign companies. They basically moved their money into safe investments.
What we have done is give a few travel restrictions on some bureaucrats that don't care and stopped a few politicians from moving their $320 that they have locked in with their Disneyland gift card. It's laughable and nobody is being punished. I'd invade too if all I was going to do was lose some coupons to Home Depot.
Russia would be able to blitz a large portion of Eastern Europe before we've even decided to mobilize our infantry and tanks. Not only are we slowed down by our democratic process, we're passive and one step behind. If Russia would move into western Ukraine, it would take a long time to mobilize a deterrent. I don't think it's a very good idea to underestimate one of the most offensively combat hardened military in the world.
Russia would be able to blitz a large portion of Eastern Europe before we've even decided to mobilize our infantry and tanks. Not only are we slowed down by our democratic process, we're passive and one step behind. If Russia would move into western Ukraine, it would take a long time to mobilize a deterrent. I don't think it's a very good idea to underestimate one of the most offensively combat hardened military in the world.
Russia would be able to blitz a large portion of Eastern Europe before we've even decided to mobilize our infantry and tanks.
This is simply an accurate description of reality. The Russian army is simply no match for ours. It isn't particularly close. They are poorly trained, poorly equipped, and poorly supplied when operating outside of Russian borders or the immediate vicinity.
Putin's always seemed so... collected. But he's acting downright irrational, methinks.
Sure, he got Crimea. But at what cost? The last time Yanukovych was ousted (Orange Revolution), the Ukrainians ended up making a mess of things and ultimately placing Yanukovych back in power. If Putin thinks that the Ukraine should be an integral part of Russia (and they do have quite a bit of shared heritage), he should be covertly sabotaging the new regime in Kiev, exploiting the divisions between the factions and letting people see the pro-Western faction fail yet again. Along the way, he could've also used this opportunity to replace Yanukovych with someone more competent. You know, doing things with a bit more finesse.
Yet, instead of acting like a former KGB officer, he loses his temper and acts like a cowboy. So he gets Crimea. And in the process, he shoves Ukraine straight into the arms of the EU/NATO. Oh, and Europe has become more united and determined to rein him in. Good job.
He's also underestimating the power of sanctions. Remember how Russia was virtually bankrupt and the economy was in shambles during the Yeltsin years? Putin took over, turned things around, and that's why he's popular. Except that the turnaround was based almost entirely on riches flowing in from the energy sector (so it wasn't really Putin's doing, but rather that of the world energy market), and Europe's his main customer. This would also hurt Europe, of course, but not nearly as much as it would hurt Russia.
Lol, that is what Adolf thought too.
Jesus Christ, you guys have lost your fucking minds. You've went to defcon 3 over this? What we have here are a bunch of frothing at the mouth lunatics that have already pulled their dicks out and are proceeding to measure lengths. It is this kind of knee jerk nationalistic idiocy that got us into Iraq. I imagine that it is the same genuises who told us that Iraq would welcome us with open arms that are now telling us that kicking Russia's ass would be like a springtime walk in the park.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS A WAR WITH RUSSIA ANYTHING OTHER THAN A POTENTIAL CIVILIZATION ENDING ARMEGEDDON. Please quit the mental masturbation that armed conflict with Russia is a possibility. It is not.
You seriously have no ability to engage on any topic rationally. I have lost count of how many insane things you have said.