Like America, the Soviet Union was an Empire in all but name. And Putin is trying to revive that.
I agree that they are up to something. However, I'm not sure they can sustain a battle on two fronts, they are running out of money, people, materiel and China ain't gon fund them forever. Especially if there's a NATO scale conflict. Here's the thing about Russia...without China they are a paper tiger. They have no real might without them. And even though China is what it is, I'm not entirely sure they'd even want to engage with US + NATO in full blown conflict. Because their allies simply aren't up to snuff militarily. Iran and N. Korea (potentially) might be non-factors. Especially since the US has air/naval footholds in Japan, S. Korea, the Philippines and Australia. Soft power is China's game. But none of us know China's ACTUAL military power so idk.
But outside of a ICBM strike, they'd have no way execute on with scale in the Pacific without massive losses. Let alone make landfall. Not that war is even fought that way anymore though. There might be sleeper cells already here, but even then, unless they got yellowcake strapped to them. I don't see how they do enough damage to make a significant difference.
If Europe and NATO had any balls, they'd march into Moscow and just end it all. But no, let's keep the region in limbo in perpetuity.
Here's the thing. Russia is MASSIVE. Resource rich but MASSIVE. Taking out Russia without a true reason means the entire region falls apart and almost no nation has the infrastructure to manage it. It would be the colonization of Africa all over again only with less people. Pure chaos as random rebel factions pop-up all over western Russia while ethnic and sectarian groups pop up in the east.
Not to mention Russia's sphere of influence means you now also have to micro-manage the former Soviet states as well. All of the -stans, most of Eastern Europe, Mongolia, N.Korea and more now all have to be either annexed, occupied or fought in order to bring them under "western" powers. That's a logistical and military impossibility in the current climate post-Afghanistan withdrawal.
On top of all this, you all but assure that China WILL join in against you 100% as opposed to China deciding not to intervene militarily if Russia is the aggressor (like in Ukraine).
You'd have to be ok with sacrificing potentially a BILLION+ people just to run up in Russia and that's not good math.
The world is an evil place filled with wolves. Cold world brehs
