What does Putin want?

[Tranquillus in Exile]

There is some speculation that Putin is planning to set up puppet statelets in eastern Ukraine and leave the west alone. But if he doesn’t take and hold Kyiv, how will he explain to his people that he left ‘Nazis’ in control right on the border?

“That’s okay folks, it turned out the Nazis were only in eastern Ukraine and we fixed it.”
Would the Russian people believe that, and dutifully adjust to being impoverished pariahs as a result?

Another objection is that the existing gangster regimes in Donbas are costing the Kremlin a mint to keep going. Now Putin wants more of the same?

Thousands were tortured and abused in the cellars, according to rights groups and witnesses. “The cellars where prisoners are held in Donetsk, and the widespread use of torture, are among the most obvious human rights issues,” said Ivar Dale, a senior policy adviser with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, a human rights watchdog group.

Yes, the “People’s Republics” are a regular paradise. You can read more here:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/22/what-are-donetsk-and-luhansk-ukraines-separatist-statelets


But the real answer to “What does Putin want” is: Ukraine, all of it. He believes that Ukraine is not a sovereign country but part of Russia, and he wants it back.

It’s true that Kiev Rus was the birthplace of Russian history, religion and culture. It flourished centuries before Moscow was ever heard of. So here is my suggestion: Ukraine should annex Muscovy. Or they could do a trade-off and remain sovereign nations. What do you think?

 

[Cypress]

What Dukha/Annatta, and the Trump ass-licker contingent repeatedly fail to understand is that Russia is never going to be out junior partner in any anti-Beijing axis of power.

Not a snowball's chance in hell.

There is too much pride and historical backdrop in Russia to ever be Washington's junior deputy.

Our best bet in an Asia-Pacific partnership to balance Beijing is the Quad: India, United States, Japan, Australia.

I read the opinion of a prominent Russian political scientist who seems to think Putin has been intending for a long time to get a divorce from western influence, and go the route Lukashenko has taken: an Eastern bloc isolated from the decadent democratic and pluralistic influences of the west, and a reconstitution of the East Slavic nations into a kind of 21st century Tsarist empire..

 

[PostmodernProphet]

Europe.....and Delaware.......

 

[anonymoose]

What Dukha/Annatta, and the Trump ass-licker contingent repeatedly fail to understand is that Russia is never going to be out junior partner in any anti-Beijing axis of power.

Not a snowball's chance in hell.

I think he knows that. Not sure why you'd state it. He seems to study and understand foreign policy better than anyone on the board.
Let him speak for himself.

There is too much pride and historical backdrop in Russia to ever be Washington's junior deputy.

You got that right. Waaay too much. There is no reason Russia couldn't be a thriving and wealthy country, as much so as any in the West. I visited some cities in Siberia around 2001. Megion was the main one I remember. They're a real basket case.

Our best bet in an Asia-Pacific partnership to balance Beijing is the Quad: India, United States, Japan, Australia.

SEATO.

I read the opinion of a prominent Russian political scientist who seems to think Putin has been intending for a long time to get a divorce from western influence, and go the route Lukashenko has taken: an Eastern bloc isolated from the decadent democratic and pluralistic influences of the west, and a reconstitution of the East Slavic nations into a kind of 21st century Tsarist empire..

I read the same. Seems he has little man syndrome. Not really concerned about the best interests of his people.

 

[Jack]

There is some speculation that Putin is planning to set up puppet statelets in eastern Ukraine and leave the west alone. But if he doesn’t take and hold Kyiv, how will he explain to his people that he left ‘Nazis’ in control right on the border?

“That’s okay folks, it turned out the Nazis were only in eastern Ukraine and we fixed it.”
Would the Russian people believe that, and dutifully adjust to being impoverished pariahs as a result?

Another objection is that the existing gangster regimes in Donbas are costing the Kremlin a mint to keep going. Now Putin wants more of the same?

Thousands were tortured and abused in the cellars, according to rights groups and witnesses. “The cellars where prisoners are held in Donetsk, and the widespread use of torture, are among the most obvious human rights issues,” said Ivar Dale, a senior policy adviser with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, a human rights watchdog group.

Yes, the “People’s Republics” are a regular paradise. You can read more here:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/22/what-are-donetsk-and-luhansk-ukraines-separatist-statelets


But the real answer to “What does Putin want” is: Ukraine, all of it. He believes that Ukraine is not a sovereign country but part of Russia, and he wants it back.

It’s true that Kiev Rus was the birthplace of Russian history, religion and culture. It flourished centuries before Moscow was ever heard of. So here is my suggestion: Ukraine should annex Muscovy. Or they could do a trade-off and remain sovereign nations. What do you think?

I'm still thinking Ukraine cut in half along the Dnieper River. And probably Odessa too.

I can't believe Lviv isn't heavily fortified by now. I would guess that would be the 'fallback Capitol'.

Having 'People's*Republics' would be better than actual 'annexation' into Russia. Well, better for Russia ... at least in the short term.

 

[Jack]

What Dukha/Annatta, and the Trump ass-licker contingent repeatedly fail to understand is that Russia is never going to be out junior partner in any anti-Beijing axis of power.

Not a snowball's chance in hell.

There is too much pride and historical backdrop in Russia to ever be Washington's junior deputy.

Our best bet in an Asia-Pacific partnership to balance Beijing is the Quad: India, United States, Japan, Australia.

I read the opinion of a prominent Russian political scientist who seems to think Putin has been intending for a long time to get a divorce from western influence, and go the route Lukashenko has taken: an Eastern bloc isolated from the decadent democratic and pluralistic influences of the west, and a reconstitution of the East Slavic nations into a kind of 21st century Tsarist empire..

"... a reconstitution of the East Slavic nations into a kind of 21st century Tsarist empire.."

I agree.

 

[Nordberg]

Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe. Putin wants the food, but blowing the country to shit will not help him. A guerrilla war will also make it tough to get crops. Putin did not have a good idea. His plan overall is badly thought out and the execution of the war has been poor.

 

[Yakuda]

There is some speculation that Putin is planning to set up puppet statelets in eastern Ukraine and leave the west alone. But if he doesn’t take and hold Kyiv, how will he explain to his people that he left ‘Nazis’ in control right on the border?

“That’s okay folks, it turned out the Nazis were only in eastern Ukraine and we fixed it.”
Would the Russian people believe that, and dutifully adjust to being impoverished pariahs as a result?

Another objection is that the existing gangster regimes in Donbas are costing the Kremlin a mint to keep going. Now Putin wants more of the same?

Thousands were tortured and abused in the cellars, according to rights groups and witnesses. “The cellars where prisoners are held in Donetsk, and the widespread use of torture, are among the most obvious human rights issues,” said Ivar Dale, a senior policy adviser with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, a human rights watchdog group.

Yes, the “People’s Republics” are a regular paradise. You can read more here:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/22/what-are-donetsk-and-luhansk-ukraines-separatist-statelets


But the real answer to “What does Putin want” is: Ukraine, all of it. He believes that Ukraine is not a sovereign country but part of Russia, and he wants it back.

It’s true that Kiev Rus was the birthplace of Russian history, religion and culture. It flourished centuries before Moscow was ever heard of. So here is my suggestion: Ukraine should annex Muscovy. Or they could do a trade-off and remain sovereign nations. What do you think?

What all communists want, to make Russia bigger through invasion.