Russia is having a hard time conquering anything and holding it. The Soviet Union fell apart because Russia was spread too thin. There are simply too few of them. They are learning to project their influence with fewer personnel. But there are limits. Georgia and the Ukraine are not Western Europe. Russia is trying to take back everything that NATO won’t defend. They are carefully testing NATOs resolve to see where they will act, and where they won’t. Their main goal is to keep strategic connections to trade routes through ports. Watch the Baltics.
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Baltic ports were critical to these countries for catching up with the rest of Europe economically after Soviet collapse. Soviets used them to trade most of their export/import and Russia continued to do so in 1990s.
The problem it’s changing big time with Russia developing own ports in Northwest and there goes Baltic transit along with their economies.
If you’d look carefully they aren’t doing well over last decade and it tends to get worse.
It is not that bad for Poland but the similar risks are there.
Betting on the West at the expense of Russia is a gamble at that part of the World and I am yet to see one who hit a jackpot.
Finland I believe has worked out the best balanced model over century being exactly 50/50 on Russia/Europe thing most of the time.