Bankir and his men have been trying to fight off Russian attacks along the Ukrainian front lines for more than two years. But it’s only now that they are finally able to strike where it hurts: Inside Russia’s own territory.
The newly granted permission by the United States and other allies to use Western weapons to strike inside Russia has had a huge impact, Bankir said. “We have destroyed targets inside Russia, which allowed for several successful counteroffensives. The Russian military can no longer feel impunity and security,” the senior officer in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) told CNN. For security reasons, he asked to be identified by his call sign only.
Breaking news: in a war, shooting back at your enemy works
Fake news! We should ask Ukraine for peace talks! Otherwise we might provoke Putin!!
Look, Putin has been very clear that he wants peace. All Ukraine have to do is surrender and pull out of the quarter of their country that Russia has “Annexed” while not in control of. Then peace negotiations can begin as to what else Ukraine has to give up in order for the fighting to not resume.
(Note, not sarcasm, this actually the offer Russia has given for a ceasefire, not even peace terms)
What was working was bombing Russia oil and gas infrastructure with planes.
The only reason Russia has money for war is their fossil fuel production. But Biden banned that because it would drive up global energy prices.
As long as Russia has money to continue to manufacture and buy new weapons this will not change much.
Everybody knew it would work. The critical part is actually “without Putin escalating with nukes.”
People keep saying this, but take the premise a little more seriously and it falls apart. Whom does Russia nuke, and in hopes of what outcome?
The only winning move is “nuke everyone all at once so far that nobody can retaliate, and then rule the world”. They simply don’t have that capability.
Ukraine?
Striking inside their territory won’t matter all that much if they can just nuke Kiyv.
And breaking the nuclear taboo is a catastrophe for everybody, regardless of who the target is.
It would not instantly win them the war - it more likely would provoke a direct response from Ukraine’s supporters. Further, Putin would have to go on TV explaining why it was necessary, given that state media has been shouting Russian military supremacy from the rooftops this entire time. I don’t see how he justifies it to his side, and critically, to the power brokers in Russia who support him. He would jeopardize his own situation with nukes, at least for now.
As all of the (nine?) nuclear powers know, normalizing the use of nukes on non nuclear powers will lead directly to massive proliferation, which is a nightmare scenario for Russia. Their entire geopolitical outlook depends on a world of purely bilateral agreements in which they are usually the stronger, so having to deal with more nuclear powers down the line would be seen as a major impediment.
Putin is waging a war of aggression, for conquest. Nuclear attacks would contaminate the land and reduce its overall value.
Putin is also not suicidal. And he has grandchildren.
He’s an absolute monster, but he’d have to be hiding in the bunker with Eva and the German shepherds before he pushed the button.
At this point I don’t understand what he hopes to get out of it and how it could be profitable for him. Everything he might annex is a bombed out wreck and there are no longer the people that ran it. Even the existence of the harbor he wants to be a big naval base again: how could he expect that to ever be safe for the remainder of the fleet?
Even were he to win, he’s starting over with everything. Infrastructure, resources, people. When Ukraine wins, we will (hopefully) help them rebuild, but what is Russia going to do? Take out loans from Bank of China and dig themselves even deeper under a mountain of debt?
The critical part is actually “without Putin escalating with nukes.”
It doesn’t even have to be a nuclear response. Russia still has plenty of conventional munitions to throw into this war and Ukraine still has plenty of infrastructure left to be demolished.
‘plenty of conventional munitions’
None that they’d be willing to part with, without creating some holes in their national defence structure.
Everything else has been sent to the front
Gee no shit. Imagine that being allowed to wage the war in a way that could actually be successful is allowing them to be successful. Suck it Russia.
…this is news? I mean to the people calling the shots.
“Sir! We’re at war, what should we do?”
“Hmmmmmm…let’s try staying here, and only shooting the ones who get this far.”
“SIR!!! IT’S NOT WORKING!!! THEY HAVE ENDLESS SUPPLIES OF MEN!!!”
“Try blasting them inside their OWN territory…”
“Sir, it’s working!!!”
“Wait, that actually worked???”
