Russia's propaganda is the fake bravado of someone trying to scare a bigger opponent:
Here's a (partial) list of all the things russian politicians/generals/journalists promised Russia would do:
* conquer Ukraine
* conquer Moldova
* conquer Estonia
* conquer Latvia
* conquer Lithuania
* conquer Poland
* conquer East-Germany
* "denazify" Kazakhstan
* disarm NATO
* crash the ISS into the US
* conquer Alaska
* conquer all of Europe and "purify" it of Russophobia
Does that sound like someone who has a plan?
Does that sound like someone who knows what they are doing?
Does that sound like someone who is confident that they will win?
Or does it sound like the rantings of some Third-World tin-pot dictator who's trying to scare other countries into taking him seriously?
Russia is afraid. Russia is afraid of being an irrelevant nobody, like all the other countries they used to look down on.
Russia likes to think of itself as an empire, as if czarist Russia or the Soviet Union still existed. And when their empire, the Soviet Union, collapsed, that was a FUCKING MAJOR hit to their national pride. It was a NATIONAL TRAUMA for the russian people.
Going from being one of the two biggest political powers in the entire world to being a nobody.
Over the last years, Russia has realized that they no longer have the diplomatic power to control other countries. Irritated at this failure, Russia went back to tried and tested methods: espionage, manipulation, bullying, threats.
With the invasion of Ukraine came their second shock: The West isn't afraid of Russia. The West isn't taking Russia seriously.
Their fall from diplomatic power is complete: Nobody is trying to curry favor with Russia. Nobody gives a shit what Russia has to say.
And THAT is the reason why Russia is desperately barking threats to make other countries fear them: Because nobody gives a shit anymore about Russia's opinion.
From empire to outcast.
And this brings us to Russia's current dilemma: Russia is doomed to try and conquer all of Ukraine. All of it.
* Russia only wants the East and the South, but Ukraine has said that they would never accept a peace-treaty that gives Russia these territories.
* Even if Russia were to offer peace to Ukraine, nobody would believe Russia because they lied so easily in the past.
* And even if Russia were somehow able to hold on to East-Ukraine and South-Ukraine in some quasi-ceasefire, there's still the problem with western sanctions.
And here we are today:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/8/2109095/-Ukraine-Update-Russia-announces-operational-pause-but-Ukraine-isn-t-slowing-down
Russia is winding down its operations in Ukraine.
My guess: Russia is hoping that without the imminent threat, Ukraine will lose the will to drag this war out and will eventually agree to some peace-treaty with Russia.
Because Russia knows that nobody would accept a peace-treaty if Russia were to straightforward offer it.
= new reply since forum marked as read
