Comments by "Sean Cidy" (@seancidy6008) on "Anders Puck Nielsen: How Bad is the Situation for Russia? | Jake Broe Podcast (E008) @anderspuck" video.

  1. 33:46 "The number one reason is he thought it would be easy". There is much more to the decision to fight than a perception that it will be a easy win. Indeed it is often the case that a easiy beatable opponent need not be fought. Putin knew Ukraine was de facto a member of a huge anti Russia (both Yelsin and Putin asked to join and were fobbed off) military alliance led by the world's most powerful country. In 2015 Obama had vetoed subordinates Biden and Blinken's desire to give arms to Ukraine, which had decrepit and unprepared armed forces, but by 2021 they were in power and Ukraine had got several years of military reorganization by western experts under its belt. "If [Putin] had known how things would go he would not have done this". To feel compelled to fight is not the same as truly being convinced that one will win. To be a great power it is merely necessary to be able to give a good account of oneself against all enemies, and be willing to do that rather that see the position of the country eroded. While as a leader must, he seemed confident to his subordinates and was superficially sanguine, I think Putin subliminally knew that the invasion was taking on the rest of Christendom, but saw the situation of Russia as so deteriorated in relation to Ukraine and its de facto allies that Russia had at all costs to do something to be taken seriously.
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