Deeply disturbing article in the New York times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/opinion/ukraine-war-putin.html
Just suppose Putin knows exactly what he's doing? Bret Stevens tentatively suggests that, far from stumbling into a quagmire and getting spanked by freedom lovers, everything may be going according to plan, and Putin may be getting exactly what he wants from the whole thing.
Which is: what remains of Ukraine's coastline, and all of her natural gas reserves. These are found in the east, currently under Russian control, and likely to be conceded during any bitter-peace negotiations.
It would leave Russia even more energy rich, her nieghbours even more dependent on her for gas, and Ukraine economically crippled, stripped of her ability to support herself.
That Putin would sacrifice so many lives, Russian as well as Ukrainian, is nauseating in its cynicism.
Personally, I find it all too believable. It makes too much sense. War, after all, is just economics by other means. This does rather deflate any optimism I've been able to build up.
Hopefully, the West will not abandon Ukraine when this is all done, and will not lift any sanctions, and will not go back to being gas-junkies dependent on the Russian dope-dealer.
Green energy folks! It's strategic now. . .
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