This looks and feels like an end-time scenario especially given the prophecy that a time of trouble would erupt and except that the time would be cut short, no flesh would be saved. Time cut short I interpret to mean God’s intervention possibly in the form of the second coming. No flesh saved could be regional or global.
Leaving aside the religious aspect, both sides in this proxy war are feeling around to establish the limits in the context of mutual assured destruction. Putin’s calculus must be this — what can I get away with doing at relatively low risk of nuclear retaliation? Our side (if you want to call it that, I generally don’t at this point) also must be assessing, what can we do without inviting Russian nuclear response? I don’t think Ukraine did all the things that have happened so far entirely by themselves but it has to be made to look that way (for example, the sinking of the Moskva, the damage to the Kerch bridge, the partial liberation of Kherson, and earlier, the defense of Kharkiv and Kyiv.
But I would say from a psychological point of view, if the Russians already think all these events are our work, and they have not gone nuclear, then why not just end the subterfuge, send in huge NATO forces to defend Ukraine, sending Russia notes outlining the limits of engagement (only to the borders and even just cede them Crimea and call that the border), and see if they turn tail and run.
It’s dangerous but allowing this to continue for years with the inevitable risk of some catastrophic miscalculation is perhaps more dangerous.
It’s dangerous but allowing this to continue for years with the inevitable risk of some catastrophic miscalculation is perhaps more dangerous.
If this weren't such a grave development your comment would be laughable. The Whole point of President Putin's Special Military Operation was to keep the Ukraine out of the EU and NATO, yet you think a total occupation of Ukraine would make Russia turn tail and run.
If I was President Putin I would immediately nuke 20 major United States Cities using their undetectable and unstoppable hypersonic cruise missiles to run interference as needed. But that's just me and President Putin is never going to do that. /s