What is Putin thinking he will accomplish in Ukraine?

[Anonymous]

besides getting a lot of people killed, costing a lot of money, isolating his own country… what a monumentally awful decision

[Drewtate]

He made a mistake. A massive strategic error. Putin kept thinking that Ukraine would back down if the Russian military massed on their boarder and not join the EU or NATO and look toward Russia instead of the west economically and thought the Ukrainians would back down in a week if the Russian military actually invaded. The Ukrainians didn't back down and now Russia has found itself fighting a war that it wasn't ready for and any ultimate victory would be a pyrrhic one, the longer the war continues the weaker Russia gets and the more it costs them and to withdraw would make putin look weak at home and Russia look weak internationally. The Ukrainians are willing to fight and the US more than willing to send them weapons as its in us jntrests to weaken Russia and possibly break Russia up into smaller Republics it can exploit.

In short Putin can't get out of the Ukraine trap he's walked Russia into due to his arrogance and pride and Russia can only grow weaker.

[Bricealan]

Have always wondered that, since the invasion took place, BESIDES turning the rest of the free world against the F*&^&^% moron. I guess the thinks of himself as the modern day Adolph Hitler. What a nightmare for the innocent people of Ukraine, who have nothing whatsoever to do with the political leanings of their Administration. The country is in shambles, thousands killed, women and children. What a fucking disaster, and OUR president stood with his thumb up his ass and let it happen, and NOW for God's sake sending BILLIONS of tax payer dollars to help them at THIS LATE DATE. God help us!!!

[Agape93]

He's just hoping for a save face moment. Some decent victory. Otherwise he knows he's fucked, and someone will likely kill him.

[Bricealan]

@Agape93 You are probably accurate in that, as Hitler had several assassination plots formed against him, as shown in the film Valkyrie, which Tom Cruise portrayed one of the officers plotting against him. I don't think Putin will be so luck to get away, and I can only imagine the "Russian people hate him for getting Russia involved in this and getting their young men killed too.

[Lliam]

Protecting ethnic Russian and Russian speaking Ukrainians from being slaughtered by Ukrainian Nazis, which has been going on since 2014.

Defending Russia's 240 year old naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea.

Defending Russia's access to the Black Sea and Mediterranean.

Stopping NATO from militarizing it's border with Ukraine.

[jshm2]

You mean "The USA".

As there were no problems in Ukraine, before the USA got involved and tried to make money from those Ukrainian dipshits.

Even now, if Russia "loses," the debt Ukrainians will need to pay the USA and it's allies for all that "support" and weapons will be multi generational.

Ukraine will end up like Iraq or Afghanistan - other countries that the USA has "helped" in the past...

[Asker]

there’s a tremendous difference in values between Ukraine, and most Iraqis, and especially Afghanistan

[jshm2]

Keep telling yourself that. Saddam basically sold out his country for the US dollar. Zelenski has done the same.

[exitseven]

He is rounding tired and has the dream of rebuilding the Soviet Union. Maybe they will even call it Putinstan.

[Anonymous]

Doing the bidding of elites higher up the chain than him, China will own the world soon

[Anonymous]

Getting rich.