Do you think Putin will stop at Ukraine or will he try to push farther?

[smahala1991]

I think he will eventually try to push farther.

[Curmudgeon]

If Putin is rational and smart, and I still think he is, he will annex the ethnic Russian parts he already took, then declare victory and bask in his popularity at home. NOTE: I am not saying he should have such popularity, but winning wars will do that for a leader, democratic or tyrannical.

The response from the smaller and now much more ethnically homogenous remainder Ukraine would be to seek European Union and NATO membership for that ethnic Ukrainian remainder.

However, Putin may very well sense Biden's weakness, and the weakness of the rest of the NATO countries for that matter, and he very well may rationally push on to "Finlandize" the rump Ukraine that remains. "Finlandization", a term from the Cold War days, was what happened to Finland: it remained independent and its citizens relatively free, but the Finnish government essentially did in foreign policy what the Soviets wanted. No NATO, no close ties to the Western Bloc, and Finland followed Soviet foreign policy directives.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/N6aOk0SiHgI

It is possible he would indeed annex Ukraine and rebuild Greater Russia, but that would mean ethnic Ukrainians acting as the ethnic Chechens have done, namely, a long insurgency, and even terrorist attacks on Russian schools and theaters. Remember these events? The largest school shooting in history is NOT some delinquent in the USA, but Chechen terrorists in Russia, believe it or not:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_siege
So does Putin's megalomania and Biden's obvious weakness trump (no pun intended) Putin's cunning? Time will tell.

Speaking of the Great Orangeman, the Demunist Commiecrats are still bleating about him on this issue, which is hilarious. Projections do not just happen at the movies, and the Demunist Commiecrat projections here are Jumbotron sized.

Now if an American Administration was REALLY in Putin's pocket, what would it do? It would do the following:
1. Limit "fracking" (hydraulic fracturing) in oil exploration as much as it possibly could, making Russian supplies that much more valuable an asset for them.
2. Block oil and gas pipelines that would bring cheaper Canadian Oil and Gas both to the USA market and to the world market, again making Russian supplies that much more valuable an asset for them.
3. Begin what amounts to unilateral disarmament negotiations for arms reductions.
4. Bizarre social engineering in the US military
5. Appease Russia’s ally Iran.

You know who DID do these things? The Obama Administration then, and the Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress now.

You know who REVERSED those things and went the exact opposite? The Trump Administration.

[virtue2332]

I don't think he is doing this all on his own without any reassurance from countries he would consider to be an Ally. China could offer support passively or financially just to see how everyone reacts and responds so they could gage what the risk is so they can make a similar move on Taiwan possibly.
So I think he would stop at Ukraine. There is no reason for Putin to think he could just keep marching around picking up nations. He is a former intelligence officer. He understands what's going on around him and how to use this strategically. He doesn't think he can take on the world but he is does want to show strength and cement some legacy. The best case scenario is for his people to create enough pressure or overthrow him or cause enough rebellion that he has to divert his focus back home on Russia. He is a propaganda master. So we shall see

[WonderBell99]

NATO has listed Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Ukraine as ‘aspiring members’ of the organization on its Wikipedia page. He may likely go for Georgia next, but we’ll never know. I really hope someone stops this fucking tyrant.

he's a dictator, so obviously he’s power-obsessed, greedy and manipulative. I don’t think he’ll stop on his own, some other external force needs to stop him. He’s a 21st century, 2.0 version of Hitler.

[Aerissa_Jade]

If the rest of the world lets him get away with it eventually he will push further. His flawed logic that Ukraine was a security threat won't stop there, he'll still think other countries are security threats and use that as an excuse to start WWIII.

Considering Ukraine was never a security threat, nor was NATO. The F'er is deranged.

[Crucis84]

Well, according to the Ukrainian government and our own useless mainstream media, Putin's army is bogged down and the Russian soldiers are just begging to be allowed to return to Russia, because they had no idea there was going to be an invasion, their morale is low because they don't want to be there, and already half the Russian army has been destroyed by the valiant Ukie soldiers, armed with nothing more than petrol bombs (we must not call them 'Molotov Cocktails', because Stalin's foreign minister was Russian, and being Russian is now "problematic" and possibly "racist" too). Plus, they've run out of the vodka they need to fuel their tanks and aircraft (because of the wonderfully effective western sanctions, you see).
Since all of that is true because the western media is so impartial and never lies to us, the question needs to be asked, "How could Putin invade any other country in Eastern Europe even if he wanted to?" Biden keeps sending U. S. forces to the area, especially Poland and Romania, but of course it makes no sense if the people of Russia are on the verge of stringing up Vlad Putin by his feet in the town square, like the Italians did to Mussolini.

[ChrisMaster69]

He is seeing how the UN is powerless.

The UN could have stepped in with Non NATO troops, Africa, South American etc and enforced a full no fly zone with UN systems.

They have not, which means the UN are not capable i
of preventing any future conflict.

Also due to how treaties work NATO cannot help an non NATO country, this pretty much means, Finland, Sweden and Moldova etc will be next targets, either this year or within next few years.

Georgia is also going to be cracked down on with its demonstrations.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Putin, will try to push further until he is taken out of control and power, he is a very sly person who uses manipulation to get further, he could care less about taking life's of others which is sad, how Trump can support this asshole is above my knowledge but he does so, Trump supports taking America out that is why COVID was left to go he knew all about COVID in January of 2020 but did not let the American people know until March of 2020 then we had the lockdown in America... Putin will not stop until America steps in and bombs the hell out of Russia's weapons.

[bulletbob555]

I agree. I kept saying he wouldn't as he had too much to lose. Unfortunately I was mistaken. He wants back all of his former satellite countries that are now independent. All oil sales are traded in dollars worldwide. I thought Putin wouldn't jeopardize that evidently I was wrong about that also. Turns out America didn't cut them off dollars. It would cause too many worldwide problems for other countries.. Germany isn't allowing russias already built natural gas pipeline to start operating. Russia has a pipeline that passes through Ukraine. Ukrain could sabotage it somehow

[josephinelcajon]

Depends upon once he gets control of the entire Ukraine. The questions would be can he hold Ukraine while pushing forward. Weather, Equipment and supplies, NATO troops and equipment locations. My gut feeling is no! Why no? He would have to justify it and at this point cannot. He had a current situation going on in Ukraine unlike Poland or others to the West.

[Soteris]

The only country he could theoretically push further into is Moldavia. That said, he barely have enough troops to fully occupy Ukraine to start with so even that is a stretch. Even putting aside NATO, they are simply physically unable to stretch any more thinly.

[MrtoddsWildRide]

I think he will avoid a direct confrontation with NATO. He doesn't want to back the US into a corner where Biden has boots on he ground. The US military is still the overwhelming force through out the world and even if he were to bring China is an allies, there is no guarantee of a win for them. Although I don't think China would come in anyway. Too many US dollars flow there.

[RolandCuthbert]

Of course he will push further. He wants to rebuild the Soviet Union. He said years ago, its downfall was the biggest geopolitical disaster of the century in his opinion.

[Curmudgeon]

Sure he says that, but how much of that is pandering to Russian nationalism? There are a good many Russians, even immigrants in my neighborhood, who are proud of the Soviet Empire doing the hard work of grinding down Hitler and his Nazis, launching the first satellites and people into space, and building these massive public works projects. Even though they tell me they *never* had indoor plumbing in the countryside, and they still plowed with horses well into the 1980s.

It is possible he would indeed annex Ukraine and rebuild Greater Russia, but that would mean ethnic Ukrainians acting as the ethnic Chechens have done, namely, a long insurgency, and even terrorist attacks on Russian schools and theaters. Remember these events? The largest school shooting in history is NOT some delinquent in the USA, but Chechen terrorists in Russia, believe it or not:
en.wikipedia.org/.../Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_siege

[RolandCuthbert]

@Curmudgeon Of course I remember the Chechen war. I think what people miss is that they seem to think the Soviet Union was some multi-ethnic or multi-cultural society. It was not. It was all Russian. You had to speak the Russian language. You had to learn Russian history. All other ethnic groups were de-emphasized. Which is why when the Soviet Union failed, it failed along ethnic lines.

If you know a Slav, then you know the Ukrainians will fight tooth and nail. And they will fight on long after Putin seizes Kiev. He can put in his puppet government and they will not stand down. He will be spending blood and treasure for years, his economy crippled with sanctions, growing unrest in Moscow and his elites unable to access their wealth and property.

[Curmudgeon]

@RolandCuthbert No disagreement there! I do think that if Putin tries to annex all of Ukraine, or even most of it, he will find an insurgency of ethnic Ukranians that would make the Chechens look tame. Which is why I do predict Putin will annex the ethnic Russian overwhelming majority areas (which he de facto has already) and declare victory. Then he will move to Finlandize the rest of it, if you are familiar with that Cold War term. One could argue that Belarus is essentially Finlandized already. Putin has no need to invade there, as that nation does his bidding.

[RolandCuthbert]

@Curmudgeon I dunno man. He talks likes he is insane now. Years ago, he was calculating. He was measured, he had a strategy.

But now he sounds crazy. Drug-dealers and nazis in the Ukraine government? Ethnic Russians are being murdered, etc?

WTF?

So I don't think anything he will do will be rational. He will seek to bring all of Ukraine under his fist. And it will be bloody, long, and I don't think his administration will survive it.

It may take years, but I think eventually Russians will have to kick him out.

Let me tell you a story. I know a woman who's father is a three star colonel in the Russian army. Well, that was about 8 years ago. He may be a general now. Her mother is Ukrainian. And they were at each other's throats when Putin invaded Crimea.

I can't imagine what things are like now. This is ripping apart families, friends, etc.

[DiegoO]

That, and the anger of the russians. Tons of russians has family in Ukraine.

[RolandCuthbert]

@DiegoO And vice versa. This is tearing apart families. And longer Ukrainians hold out, the worse it becomes for Putin. The problem is that he is almost Hitler-like in his thinking. The Russians have not captured one single major obstacle. And this could force him to become more desperate. Nothing he is doing now is rational. All bets are off, including WWIII.

[DiegoO]

I am usually assertive (from what I've been told). For the first time I hope I am wrong with the assumption of a WW3.

[EmmaMary]

Hopefully someone will have "double tapped" the fucking mentally deranged despot long before he gets that far.

[Stevegibbons]

If there are no serious consequences he will go on. Biden made a huge mistake in shutting down our pipelines for US oil production and sending all production to Russia. Now Europe is dependent on Russia - so how tough can Europe be on Putin. I think both NATO and Biden are too weak to deal with Putin and Putin knows this. That’s why he decided to invade Ukraine

[Dargil]

A lot of that relies on (ugh) Gropey Joe. It will depend on whether he loves his country more than he hates trump. We can cripple their economy in weeks.

[Guy13]

See Soviet Union Map. Then you will know what his plan is. This is a non-questions if you were taught US History or Civics

[Wade12345]

He wants to push farther, but the Ukrainians are going to bleed Russia. Putin has made a serious miscalculation from what I can tell so far.

[Wester1967]

He's already conquered your mind. You need to be asking this about the US. Not Russia acting like a baby US.

[ragooo8]

The real question is where will the American empire stop?

[Avicenna]

I think pushing further into the Baltics or Poland is out of the question

[Quidthonian]

As a Polish citizen in Poland, I am bit worried. I am worried that NATO will turn its back on Poland if Russia reaches Poland.

[slatyb]

Effectively he already has Belarus. Beyond that is Poland, a member of NATO.

[Wise4myage]

I hope I’m wrong, but my bet is he will try to conquer more territory if he succeeds.. Biden’s actions are not cutting it.

[TallAnon]

Obviously he wants more.
What is the reason he wants Ukraine? Not for anything there, he just wants to expand.
Why would this change after Ukraine?

[skyeee_]

not sure but it kinda is likely. hope that doesn't come true though

[MountAverage]

I think Putin will have to go fuck himself eventually. This whole thing won't play out like he's hoping for.

[DiegoO]

Guy is nuts. He's in emperial mode. I doubt he'll stop.

[Likes2drive]

If he wins this he will have more confidence and maybe try to take other bordering countries

[FamilyGuy2020]

You don't bomb an entire country with no end game insight Poland is the endgame.

[OddBeMe]

I doubt he’ll invade nato countries. But if Ukraine works out I wouldn’t want to be in the Balkans.

[Twalli]

If he takes Ukraine he'll have to stop for a while.

[grega239]

How?
russia doesn't has enough power to take on NATO.

Stop it.

[driven159]

they will do what they can get away with or till the money runs out

[robocop666]

he has threatened Finland not to join NATO. Moldova is also the next Ukraine. They have a similar situation to Ukraine and are terrified.

[JesseJayNeak]

He’ll push further. Heck, he’ll go after the other former Soviet countries

[OpenMindblowing]

He can’t. If he will, and it is a Navo country. It is ww3

[Sum1Stpd]

Nah. He just dont want Ukraine to be under NATO.

[Sum1Stpd]

*doesn't

[angiesquest]

He will try to push harder, i think

[Wade12345]

yes. Putin will try to conquer any nearby nation which is not already part of NATO or the E. U. Especially if it was part of the old Soviet Union he remembers so fondly.

He may try to attack Georgia next, but he could invade Turkey, because Turkey put a blockade on the Black Sea and banned all Russian vessels from the black sea (but can't flush out the ones already there obviously. The Russians would crush Turkey in that arena if it came to an open naval battle between the two nations. This is why I think Putin, if he does somehow win Ukraine, will push into several other surrounding nations: Georgia, Poland, Turkey, etc.

The way NATO thinks about nuclear war is too paranoid. The Russians are just as afraid of getting wiped out by nukes, so if we defend Ukraine and the other nations, Russia will NOT start a nuclear war, because they will get wiped out just as bad or worse than anyone else.

Putin is just bluffing about nukes. Nobody "wins" a nuclear war, so nobody is going to intentionally start a nuclear war. If anything, Russia would lose the nuclear war, and the U. S. would break even with Russia... and any survivors in the Northern Hemisphere would need to move underground for the next several years or decades to avoid radioactive fallout.

[Citizenkirk]

Hell keep on trucking

[IveGotNoName]

One can hope he won't

[Fuentes]

Ukraine is giving him hell, his military is weak

[Wade12345]

Russia Air power sure as hell isn't' as good as U. S. air power, otherwise Russia wouldn't be suffering so many casualties on the ground. The Russians have made several key strategic and tactical mistakes I won't' mention, but I'm laughing at how bad Russia is at invading. Ukraine is going to bleed Russia dry over the next several weeks if they don't call a cease fire. The russians do not understand how modern warfare works anymore.

[Wade12345]

The pentagon reported one reason Russia's ground forces are getting beaten and haven't made advancements is because they don't have enough night vision equipment. lol. That's like 40 year old tech to the U. S. I don't understand how they thought they would invade Ukraine without night vision equipment.

[Wade12345]

The U. S. intelligence says Russian military is prepared to lose as many as 50,000 of their own troops in this attack. Well, they are going to lose more than that if they keep attacking. Ukraine has the tools to destroy that tank battalion, a nd putin will be forced to either all-in against Ukraine or do a full retreat. If he all-ins he's going to lose even more troops.

Ukraine has turkish drones and some other western tech, and is making good use of them, and I'm laughing because Russia has no idea what they are up against.

[Wade12345]

The supplies germany alone has pledged to Ukraine is enough to destroy two entire battalions of tanks and other armored vehicles. So unless Putin wants to lose all armored capability, he'd be a fool to keep attacking. His nation si going to be defenseless by the time he realizes he can't win this.

[Fuentes]

@Wade12345 yup very true he will be defenseless if he goes all in lol the fact he prepares to lose 50k souls is ridiculous and yeahthats what i said his country is so far behind in modern combat they have no idea how to fight in today's world plus low morale from his men who don't even wanna be there. It's so crazy how Putin is showing the world how strategically dumb Russia really is. He thought this was going to be Crimea where he rolls through the border and everyone surrenders lol but instead they fought !

[Wade12345]

Nato just collapsed Russia's currency in one night. This is going to lead to a civil unrest and war in Russia, because the people there already hate Putin to begin with.

[DaveToo]

Dictators will always want more.

[Still-alive]

He already threatened Finland...

[Kriss46]

Honestly i feel like Ukraine will stop putin

[AkshiJanjua]

He won't push farther that's highly unlikely

[AZBlake777]

I would hope he isn’t that stupid.

[NathanDavis]

not into NATO

[Agape93]

Nope. He won't stop.

[leah14]

Farther

[msc545]

He will stop there.

[Dave38]

He will stop