The Russian response is typically Russian... full of anger, frustration, and expressions of betrayal (Russia is always thwarted in its noble plans by some evil force from the West). This particular video is really very sad. The host (Solovyov) is engaging in fantasy, and he knows it. They don't have the spare S-300 and S-400 air defense systems to send to Iran; they need them to protect their forces in Ukraine and inside Russia from Ukraine. They don't have the weapons to arm the Houthis or Syrians; they've lost large number of their weapons in Ukraine and can't make enough to keep their own troops supplied. They can't send forces to conquer African countries; their forces have been seriously depleted in Ukraine and they can barely keep up by throwing raw untrained recruits into combat where they get slaughtered for nothing. All this is is bluster. Solovyov knows that Russia can't use tactical nukes in Ukraine much less against its Western supporters because that would result in a retaliatory attack by NATO and US forces that would destroy all Russian forces in Ukraine as well as take out significant military assets in Russia... and risk a strategic nuclear response against Russia that would result in the end of the Russia state. And yet, Russian leaders are bluffing... and not bluffing.
Solovyov is a spokesman representing the Kremlin, sending out trial balloons to see how they will be received by the West, and by the Russian people. This segment was a tacit acknowledgement of military defeat in Ukraine. Russia's leaders know they have no chance of prevailing but cannot bring themselves to publicly admit defeat and withdraw their forces... the one thing that would save the current Russia as we know it. They will continue to bleed the Russian economy, the Russian military, and the Russian people dry. It's over, and all of the ranting and frustration won't change things. If, in desperation, they attack NATO countries with conventional or tactical nuclear weapons, they will bring the end of Russia.
This is why Trump gave them 50 days. That seems like a lot of time, maybe too much time... but the leaders of Russia have to come to terms with the fact that they've lost and nothing, not even employing nukes, will bring them victory. The only question now is, how bad will their defeat be? Like the Japanese after two nukes realizing that continuing only meant more Japanese deaths with no hope of victory, Russian leaders need to accept this and admit it. Not rushing them is good, because desperate people do desperate things under pressure.
Russia will come to terms with defeat, because it has no other options that aren't worse.
tags:
