Fools….in WW2 the Russian people ate shoe leather while fighting back the Nazis. Their resolve and determination hasn’t changed. The Russian population is not like the Western population, which was the Neo-Cons first mistaken assumption.
The western war cheerleaders are learning a valuable lesson.
“”””Fools….in WW2 the Russian people ate shoe leather while fighting back the Nazis. Their resolve and determination hasn’t changed. The Russian population is not like the Western population””””
Any people can do that, Americans can do it, Parisians, even Canadians, all they need is to be under the iron fist and the death squads of a Stalin, or Mao, or Pol Pot, when you have no choice, you try to survive and there is nothing you can do about it, it isn’t a matter of free will, or strength, or commitment, you simply exist and might live, or might die.
Which Russians should we compare to? 1941? Or, 1991? Or, 1917?
That said, to some degree I agree that Putin and his gang will wring the last ruble they can out of the Russian population, to stay in power. Further, economic sanctions usually harm the sanctioner(s) too: In this case the most likely result would be increased inflation, so, numerous Western Governments, including Trump’s, would be at serious risk if truly effective economic sanctions were imposed.
Ukraine’s solution is to take out Russia’s distillation towers. Lacking certain 30+ year old US tech, but working well in other aspects, this campaign is gradually but overall pretty steadily cutting into Russia’s refined oil products supply. Russia has a large export margin, so, it will take a few months for shortages to become critical. Ukraine only needs to keep the hits coming faster than Russia can effect repairs, and so far, the numbers say that is a pretty safe bet, and accelerating. The drone tech is only going to get better.
This is a problem Putin can’t fix with Rubles or reputed Russian toughness. It is a physical problem: Without refined products, large countries cannot function. Any, and particularly Russia with its vast size, would literally grind to a halt.
Putin “could” turn to nukes to level Ukraine, but that likely leads to a general nuclear war. A cease fire and negotiating, seriously, while Trump is in office, becomes Putin’s best option. The sooner the better, for Russia.