Why did Putin invade Ukraine?

[kentuck]

It was such an insane and irrational act of war. Why did he feel it was necessary at this time?

Did he think NATO and the world was too divided and too weak to respond to him?

In no way does it make any sense.

Now, his "insanity" is making a pariah out of Russia and the Russian people will pay for his aggressive acts.

Also, he likes to say that Ukraine is like Russian "family". They are brothers.

Why do people kill their own "family"?

[enid602]

1. Putin

1. He thought Trump would be President, and no doubt contributed substantially to the cancellation of our recent election and subsequent effort to take the capitol.
2. We’ve never stopped him before in Chechnya, Georgia or Aleppo, mostly Muslim. He underestimated our racism.
3. It seems he underestimated the Western media’s reaction to his invasion, what with 24/7 coverage.

[Midnight Writer]

3. Putin thought he could just send a column of tanks into Kyiv and it would all be over.

None would dare stand against Putin and his mighty army.

He underestimated the spirit of the people of Ukraine, and he overestimated himself and his military.

[Hugin]

6. It worked in Hungary.

Of course that was over 60 years ago when news reels still reigned supreme.

[gab13by13]

4. HE UNDERESTIMATED PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN.

[Mr. Ected]

5. How can you distill rationality from an autocrat's decisions?

After 4 years of Trump, I think we've all become experts on their behavior. It's inexplicable most of the time and not tethered to reality in any way.

He thought he'd win, just like Trump thought he would be able to overturn the election. A massive miscalculation.

Still yet, his name is in the news prominently every day and there's no such thing as bad publicity, right?

[uponit7771]

7. Take UKRs oil and gas reserves, its always about oil and greed with people like Putrid

[Thunderbeast]

8. His single fixation is restoration if the USSR...and his own legacy.

I have NOTHING but a hunch here supported by other uninformed interweb posters...

Putin is terminally ill. He has little time to secure his place in history along with Alexander, Ivan, and Josef.

In his spare time he is posing and sitting for plaster castings so they get his massive Red Square statue right.

Take it with a grain of sand from the Siberian tundra.

He has big dreams and little to lose personally.

[world wide wally]

9. That's just what bullies do

[Achilleaze]

10. Fundy Repubbies think Pooty's doing Gawd's Work

You know, getting Armageddon off to a flaming start, and shit.

They are Hell Bent on making Armageddon a self-fulfilling prophecy of hate and destruction.

Republicans and Russians are doing their Damnedest to ignore the actual teachings of Christ, and thereby to stoke the fires hate, war, environmental destruction, and general mayhem.

[SYFROYH]

11. Honestly, I think it was a win win situation for Putin

If he wins the UKR, great.

If he wrecks the UKR and leaves, great.