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>Difference, at least with regard to China/Taiwan, is timeline. Russia could likely steamroll much of Ukraine in a short period of time, and the US/NATO has few

>Difference, at least with regard to China/Taiwan, is timeline. Russia could likely steamroll much of Ukraine in a short period of time, and the US/NATO has few assets available for immediate response to hundreds of thousands of Russian troops. The conflict could potentially be over before any meaningful military response could be mounted outside of what Ukraine can muster (which compared to the Russians only goes so far). It takes, what, 12-20 hours to get a bunch of planes in the air - at that point the Russian soldiers will be smashed unless they can keep control of the air. You can't win a air power immediately, but if it comes to a NATO fight Poland is right next to Ukraine and has some pretty nice equipment and no love for Russia.

scottLobster 5y ago
The Russians have a bunch of planes as well, not to mention sophisticated land based air defenses already in Eastern Ukraine. Poland recently ran a bunch of military exercises simulating a Russian invasion through Belarus, and in the words of one Polish general the results were "worse than 1939" https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/11/09/pola-n09.html https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/11/09/pola-n09.html If NATO declares war on Russia, that also immediately expands the front line from Norway, down into the Baltics, all of which would have to be defended from Russian retaliation. Doing that and fighting a full scale invasion of Ukraine would be the largest European Conflict since WWII.
- skinkestek 5y ago
  > If NATO declares war on Russia, that also immediately expands the front line from Norway, down into the Baltics, all of which would have to be defended from Russian retaliation. Doing that and fighting a full scale invasion of Ukraine would be the largest European Conflict since WWII. Well, that obviously goes both ways. Russia will also have to defend itself all the way from the north to the south.

scottLobster 5y ago

The Russians have a bunch of planes as well, not to mention sophisticated land based air defenses already in Eastern Ukraine. Poland recently ran a bunch of military exercises simulating a Russian invasion through Belarus, and in the words of one Polish general the results were "worse than 1939" https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/11/09/pola-n09.html https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/11/09/pola-n09.html If NATO declares war on Russia, that also immediately expands the front line from Norway, down into the Baltics, all of which would have to be defended from Russian retaliation. Doing that and fighting a full scale invasion of Ukraine would be the largest European Conflict since WWII.

skinkestek 5y ago
> If NATO declares war on Russia, that also immediately expands the front line from Norway, down into the Baltics, all of which would have to be defended from Russian retaliation. Doing that and fighting a full scale invasion of Ukraine would be the largest European Conflict since WWII. Well, that obviously goes both ways. Russia will also have to defend itself all the way from the north to the south.