4 ms·

As Russian I don't agree. I don't watch TV and read news (other than HN and a couple of other sites where I try to avoid politics as much as I can), but why the

As Russian I don't agree. I don't watch TV and read news (other than HN and a couple of other sites where I try to avoid politics as much as I can), but why the hell do we need these Baltic states? What do they have that Russia needs? Territory, natural resources? Nothing. I don't know the real motivation for annexing Crimea, but making a conclusion: first they take Crimea, then they're going to take Sweden and Baltic states - is nonsense.

ocschwar 10y ago
Then why is Russia constantly interfering with the Baltics? Why did Russia abduct that Estonian border guard?
brilliantcode 10y ago
Putin wants to revive USSR without any of it's benefits but all of it's power & resources available to him. He might get his way-we have a "Gorbachev" in the White House or a KGB asset.
- gspetr 10y ago
  Full disclosure: I am Russian. Even Belarus and Kazakhstan don't really want to join, forget about the rest ex-USSR countries. Taking countries by force makes even less sense - there do not exist resources or territory that make it profitable enough to offset military spending and new rounds of economic sanctions.
  - brilliantcode 10y ago
    it gives political momentum-as did Hitler's blitzkrieg in Poland Military wise you buy large buffer between US ground & air forces based around there.
    - gspetr 10y ago
      If he wanted a buffer he could have easily taken over Ukraine in the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015. Both times the rebels routed Ukrainian army and the road to Kiev was essentially clear. Reinstalling the puppet president would have been easy. Not to mention that during the coup itself there were reports of Ukrainian generals sending envoys to Moscow, seeking aid and patronage to throw a counter coup and either reinstate the former president or setup military dictatorship. And they easily had the force too. Kremlin just said no.
      - brilliantcode 10y ago
        RussiaToday is a poor source.
        gspetr 10y ago
        Yes, go ahead and resort to stereotypes. RT is external propaganda, TV is the main instrument of internal propaganda. Very few Russians use that as their information source, even pro-regime ones. This is tantamount to Americans citing this as their source of domestic news: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America
    - anticodon 10y ago
      Hitler needed war to solve economical problems. He was desperate for money and resources. All wars has strong economical reasons. For Russia there's no economical reasons to invade Sweden or Baltic states or Kazakhstan. This even sounds funny. There would be no political or economical benefits. It's a propaganda by the western media. P.S. Actually there's a lot more reasons to invade Kazakhstan than Sweden. There're a lot of natural resources in Kazakhstan.
- anticodon 10y ago
  Are you sure you really know that Putin wants to revive USSR? Did he personally announced this goal? Or you're quoting CNN or some other media? This is typical political fearmongering. There're many reasons to create a fear-inducing stories: "Bad Russians are going to take our land and they replaced our president with a puppet. We must unite and buy more guns!". Relax, nobody wants to take Sweden. It also wasn't ever a part of USSR or even pre-USSR Russia.
hindsightbias 10y ago
Right now, the EU/NATO are wondering if they're on their own or not. They might have 8 years of a US President who just doesn't care or will blame them. Putin would be crazy not to take advantage of an opportunity to chip away at NATO and destabilize the EU edges. What else is he going to do, be a good boy and wait for them to drop sanctions?

ocschwar 10y ago

Then why is Russia constantly interfering with the Baltics? Why did Russia abduct that Estonian border guard?

brilliantcode 10y ago

Putin wants to revive USSR without any of it's benefits but all of it's power & resources available to him. He might get his way-we have a "Gorbachev" in the White House or a KGB asset.

gspetr 10y ago
Full disclosure: I am Russian. Even Belarus and Kazakhstan don't really want to join, forget about the rest ex-USSR countries. Taking countries by force makes even less sense - there do not exist resources or territory that make it profitable enough to offset military spending and new rounds of economic sanctions.
- brilliantcode 10y ago
  it gives political momentum-as did Hitler's blitzkrieg in Poland Military wise you buy large buffer between US ground & air forces based around there.
  - gspetr 10y ago
    If he wanted a buffer he could have easily taken over Ukraine in the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015. Both times the rebels routed Ukrainian army and the road to Kiev was essentially clear. Reinstalling the puppet president would have been easy. Not to mention that during the coup itself there were reports of Ukrainian generals sending envoys to Moscow, seeking aid and patronage to throw a counter coup and either reinstate the former president or setup military dictatorship. And they easily had the force too. Kremlin just said no.
    - brilliantcode 10y ago
      RussiaToday is a poor source.
      - gspetr 10y ago
        Yes, go ahead and resort to stereotypes. RT is external propaganda, TV is the main instrument of internal propaganda. Very few Russians use that as their information source, even pro-regime ones. This is tantamount to Americans citing this as their source of domestic news: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America
  - anticodon 10y ago
    Hitler needed war to solve economical problems. He was desperate for money and resources. All wars has strong economical reasons. For Russia there's no economical reasons to invade Sweden or Baltic states or Kazakhstan. This even sounds funny. There would be no political or economical benefits. It's a propaganda by the western media. P.S. Actually there's a lot more reasons to invade Kazakhstan than Sweden. There're a lot of natural resources in Kazakhstan.
anticodon 10y ago
Are you sure you really know that Putin wants to revive USSR? Did he personally announced this goal? Or you're quoting CNN or some other media? This is typical political fearmongering. There're many reasons to create a fear-inducing stories: "Bad Russians are going to take our land and they replaced our president with a puppet. We must unite and buy more guns!". Relax, nobody wants to take Sweden. It also wasn't ever a part of USSR or even pre-USSR Russia.

hindsightbias 10y ago

Right now, the EU/NATO are wondering if they're on their own or not. They might have 8 years of a US President who just doesn't care or will blame them. Putin would be crazy not to take advantage of an opportunity to chip away at NATO and destabilize the EU edges. What else is he going to do, be a good boy and wait for them to drop sanctions?