Just imagine you are MiniArt. Setup in the Ukraine. Next thing you know there is a new Russian tank parked just up the street. Would they allow MiniArt to take their tape measure and camera up and do some research?
Looks like it’s a possibility that there will be plenty of Russian samples running around soon. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-24/us-orders-families-of-staff-to-leave-ukraine/100777124
And while the west is looking hard at the Ukraine and Russia maybe China will make a move on Taiwan. Maybe. Maybe we should be more concerned.
I think Biden’s unguarded remark about a “minor incursion” has pretty much told Putin if all he wants is the Donbas he can have it, it’s pretty much a lost cause anyway. Attempting regime change in the aftermath is another matter. The Russian troops deployed to Belarus are assumed to be for an incursion into the Ukraine from the north (as well as supporting Lukashenko) but a westward movement of those forces would be a very troubling gambit.
Putin’s just testing the west to see how united they are (or could be) against him. He could also be just bluffing to get other concessions (for not invading) like lifting economic sanctions. Either way, he’s just using typical bully tactics…“give me your lunch money or I’ll beat you up”. Russia, by itself, is slowly circling the drain and Putin is trying to regain lost territories so he can exploit them again.
Russian troops in Belarus? Let’s see Lukashenko try to get rid of them…they’re there to stay! Putin will find a pretext to replace Lukashenko, and soon Belarus will be flying the Russian flag!
