Putin’s insistence on doing frequent airspace violations over Gotland is like half the reason we pursued joining Nato in the first place. That started way back. Ukraine just tipped the scales over enough to cause us to take action on it.
Sweden used to pride itself on wanting to stay neutral, but that’s quite a bit harder to sustain when someone with significantly higher military power keeps harassing you.
Clickbaity article title, they are talking about Gotland
If they do it’s more likely they nuke something no?
No. That would make Putin an instant pariah. He wants his little toy army to fight NATO’s little toy army before he dies.
We’re talking about he becoming desperate here.
Whatever desperation Putin has before using Nukes it is nothing compared to how desperate his situation would be after. It is not west he needs to be concerned then. It is India and China. Both have made clear Nukes are not to be used.
Russian economy would collapse, if China and India cut ties. Not to mention China might just walk over the eastern border and come clean house with and in Russia for their insolence of not heeding Peking. It’s 140 million person country vs. 1 billion person country and PLA isn’t any more the “every third guy gets actual rifle” people’s resistance army.
He would put himself and most likely his family and children at risk. Since using nukes like that is the level of thing where ruthless country like China absolutely would come for the culprit and their family. Since “you might not care about your life anymore old man, but we are pretty sure you care about your children and grand children”.
Medieval (quite literally). “Yeah, we snatched your grand child as hostage.” You behave now and they might life.
Since using nukes like that is the level of thing where ruthless country like China absolutely would come for the culprit and their family. Since “you might not care about your life anymore old man, but we are pretty sure you care about your children and grand children”.
Brutal? Yes. Morally right? No. Morally right to pretend you would do the whole time, but you wouldn’t actually do it? Absolutely, yes.
Russia is not under threat from the West. Only its government is. Putin knows this. Starting a nuclear war would not help him; it would expedite his downfall.
No they want these strategic positions
With which fleet should they be able to conquer it? How can they maintain a supply line to hold it?
Don’t look for reason among the Russians
Sorry but that’s propaganda. Even Trump will be reasonable when the cameras are off.
But even if Russians are pure emotional irrationality, they still have to obey physiks and have to handle Nato or EU explosives. They can’t protect their refineries. How should they protect a fleet in the baltic sea when Nato controls all shores and the entrance and Nato has three times more submarines there?
Trump, reasonable? Have you not heard any of the stuff that was leaked by his white house staffers?
Attacking Ukraine itself was not a reasonable decision and as you say: they are currently loosing that war. So likely losing a war seems not be a factor that stops the Russian government from its decision if they are high enough on their own fumes.
Trump, reasonable?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_theory
So likely losing a war seems not be a factor that stops the Russian government
China has said that they cannot afford Russia to lose. We are not reaching the end but the end of the beginning.
China has said that they cannot afford Russia to lose.
I fail to see why that would be the case. I feel they would actually benefit from a beaten and isolated Russia.
While it certainly could be that the people surrounding him do apply the madman theory at times, his behaviour can be pretty well explained by narcissism and dementia alone. It’s not like Trump is a particular smart individual with long term planning. He is as stupid as he appears, the problem is just that apparently that’s exactly on the level of a third of the USA population.
And regarding Chinese support: that applies to your own doubts in your earlier comment regarding supply lines as well. So either you think China is supporting Russia no matter what or you don’t. But please stop jumping around.
That’s hardly “desperate”. It’s more opportunistic, than anything else.