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Russia has roughly the same GDP as Texas. I feel like the US military would have to be completely incompetent to not be able to easily dismantle them at this p

Russia has roughly the same GDP as Texas. I feel like the US military would have to be completely incompetent to not be able to easily dismantle them at this point considering the size of their budget. I can't help but think they are planned opposition at this point, whether willing or unwilling.

ceejayoz 5y ago
> I feel like the US military would have to be completely incompetent to not be able to easily dismantle them at this point considering the size of their budget. Or, you know, unwilling to start a nuclear war. Which dismantling the 50%+ of Russia's conventional military committed to Ukraine would very possibly lead to.
- akimball 5y ago
  If defensive operations create too much risk of near, then Putin can slow walk all the way to Portugal without resistance. Appeasement will only insure larger conflict
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    I don't think what the EU and US are doing in Ukraine can be termed appeasement. Punishing sanctions, rumblings of NATO and EU expansions, open and extensive weapons transfers, and full-throated support of the Ukrainian government is hardly what we did in Czechoslovakia. The "we will go to open war with you" line is the borders of NATO and the EU, which haven't currently been violated. It's not an unreasonable line to draw, given the potential consequences of nuclear armed states doing battle.
mandelken 5y ago
Russia has 6000 nuclear warheads and enough capabilities to deliver them wherever they want in the world. That will keep the US military far away from their battlefield.
- Thaxll 5y ago
  It's unlikely that they will engage nuclear weapon if the west intervene in Ukraine.
  - gruez 5y ago
    You really want to test that out?
    - drran 5y ago
      When Russians will take Ukrainian nuclear reactor, this war will be nuclear regardless of what you want.
      - krisoft 5y ago
        uhm, what do you mean by that? When we talk about the risk of a nuclear escalation we talk about the risk of this or that country launching nuclear armed missiles at an other country. How would the posession of nuclear reactors factor into that?
        drran 5y ago
        Ukraine is the post-nuclear country. Ukraine has 4 working weapons grade nuclear stations. If Russian will capture nuclear reactor, they can convert it to nuclear landmine, because reactor uses enriched Uranium, to create equivalent of 10k Chornobyl's. Ukraine has know-how and nuclear materials (Plutonium) to create nuclear weapons at will. The only thing that stopped us is USA, Britain, France, and Germany, which used Budapest memorandum as leverage against Ukraine to prevent that.
        deadbeeves 5y ago
        I'll be the first to admit I don't know a lot about nuclear power, but I'm pretty sure you're talking nonsense. To say that a nuclear power reactor uses weapons-grade uranium is akin to saying that a car works by lighting its gas tank on fire. For nuclear power you want a carefully controlled reaction, while for an explosion you want to release as much energy as possible as quickly as possible. Now, maybe if Russia captures a reactor they could send a scientist down to repurpose its parts to make an improvised nuke, but if that's the goal, what would be the point? It's not like Russia doesn't have nukes already. Just having plutonium and knowledge is not enough to build a nuclear weapon. No country has ever developed nukes while its main territory was being invaded. For one, even if you can build a device, you'd need to test it at least once. What would you do if you had nukes and you detected that the non-nuclear-capable country you're invading has just run a nuclear test?
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InitialLastName 5y ago
In conventional warfare, likely yes. Russia also has enough nuclear weapons, in unknown places (likely off the US coast), to do a lot of damage to the US. They will almost certainly use them in the face of an existential threat (like being at war with NATO directly), so NATO will do everything possible to avoid that contingency.
- drran 5y ago
  It's FUD. Russians don't wand to die with their families. They know that USA already used nuclear bombs in war and will use them again when necessary.
  - jessaustin 5y ago
    War promoters need to decide whether Putin is crazy or super-rational. He probably isn't both of those things.
    - ncmncm 5y ago
      Putin would not have invaded if he were not desperately at risk of losing power. Nobody is super-rational all the time. If he does get ousted he will certainly be killed. His replacement is, by reversion to the mean, very likely to be less rational.
      - spacemanmatt 5y ago
        He is also fighting for his final spot in history. He's not gonna live forever.
throw_m239339 5y ago
We've seen how the US military faired in Afghanistan one of the poorer country on the planet... Attacking Russia would result in a nuclear war that would wipe mankind out earth.
- akimball 5y ago
  Defending Ukraine is not attacking anyone. It is defending. Abandoning defense gives away the game before it starts
  - kuraudo 5y ago
    Ukraine became the aggressor when it tried to join a hostile military alliance that Russia is not allowed to join right on russias border. That people attempt to justify this as Ukraines unassailable right shows you the sheer power of western propaganda. Imagine if Mexico played host to Chinese and Russian missile launchers pointed at our major cities jn the same way Poland does.
    - QuarterReptile 5y ago
      To prove just how unreasonable it is for Ukraine to think they would need a military alliance oriented against Russia, Russia invades Ukraine? >Imagine if Mexico played host to Chinese and Russian missile launchers pointed at our major cities jn the same way Poland does. The fact that Mexico doesn't probably says something. I'm sure there's a lot of money in hosting Chinese military assets. All this is to say nothing about the incongruities between your explanation and the many and varied lies about why the invasion that was happening both wasn't an invasion and wasn't happening...
    - dragonwriter 5y ago
      > Imagine if Mexico played host to Chinese and Russian missile launchers pointed at our major cities jn the same way Poland does. By the same argument that this justifies attacking Ukraine, you must think the US would be justified in attacking Canada if Mexico hosted the Chinese and Russian missiles you describe.

ceejayoz 5y ago

> I feel like the US military would have to be completely incompetent to not be able to easily dismantle them at this point considering the size of their budget. Or, you know, unwilling to start a nuclear war. Which dismantling the 50%+ of Russia's conventional military committed to Ukraine would very possibly lead to.

akimball 5y ago
If defensive operations create too much risk of near, then Putin can slow walk all the way to Portugal without resistance. Appeasement will only insure larger conflict
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  I don't think what the EU and US are doing in Ukraine can be termed appeasement. Punishing sanctions, rumblings of NATO and EU expansions, open and extensive weapons transfers, and full-throated support of the Ukrainian government is hardly what we did in Czechoslovakia. The "we will go to open war with you" line is the borders of NATO and the EU, which haven't currently been violated. It's not an unreasonable line to draw, given the potential consequences of nuclear armed states doing battle.

mandelken 5y ago

Russia has 6000 nuclear warheads and enough capabilities to deliver them wherever they want in the world. That will keep the US military far away from their battlefield.

Thaxll 5y ago
It's unlikely that they will engage nuclear weapon if the west intervene in Ukraine.
- gruez 5y ago
  You really want to test that out?
  - drran 5y ago
    When Russians will take Ukrainian nuclear reactor, this war will be nuclear regardless of what you want.
    - krisoft 5y ago
      uhm, what do you mean by that? When we talk about the risk of a nuclear escalation we talk about the risk of this or that country launching nuclear armed missiles at an other country. How would the posession of nuclear reactors factor into that?
      - drran 5y ago
        Ukraine is the post-nuclear country. Ukraine has 4 working weapons grade nuclear stations. If Russian will capture nuclear reactor, they can convert it to nuclear landmine, because reactor uses enriched Uranium, to create equivalent of 10k Chornobyl's. Ukraine has know-how and nuclear materials (Plutonium) to create nuclear weapons at will. The only thing that stopped us is USA, Britain, France, and Germany, which used Budapest memorandum as leverage against Ukraine to prevent that.
        deadbeeves 5y ago
        I'll be the first to admit I don't know a lot about nuclear power, but I'm pretty sure you're talking nonsense. To say that a nuclear power reactor uses weapons-grade uranium is akin to saying that a car works by lighting its gas tank on fire. For nuclear power you want a carefully controlled reaction, while for an explosion you want to release as much energy as possible as quickly as possible. Now, maybe if Russia captures a reactor they could send a scientist down to repurpose its parts to make an improvised nuke, but if that's the goal, what would be the point? It's not like Russia doesn't have nukes already. Just having plutonium and knowledge is not enough to build a nuclear weapon. No country has ever developed nukes while its main territory was being invaded. For one, even if you can build a device, you'd need to test it at least once. What would you do if you had nukes and you detected that the non-nuclear-capable country you're invading has just run a nuclear test?

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InitialLastName 5y ago

In conventional warfare, likely yes. Russia also has enough nuclear weapons, in unknown places (likely off the US coast), to do a lot of damage to the US. They will almost certainly use them in the face of an existential threat (like being at war with NATO directly), so NATO will do everything possible to avoid that contingency.

drran 5y ago
It's FUD. Russians don't wand to die with their families. They know that USA already used nuclear bombs in war and will use them again when necessary.
- jessaustin 5y ago
  War promoters need to decide whether Putin is crazy or super-rational. He probably isn't both of those things.
  - ncmncm 5y ago
    Putin would not have invaded if he were not desperately at risk of losing power. Nobody is super-rational all the time. If he does get ousted he will certainly be killed. His replacement is, by reversion to the mean, very likely to be less rational.
    - spacemanmatt 5y ago
      He is also fighting for his final spot in history. He's not gonna live forever.

throw_m239339 5y ago

We've seen how the US military faired in Afghanistan one of the poorer country on the planet... Attacking Russia would result in a nuclear war that would wipe mankind out earth.

akimball 5y ago
Defending Ukraine is not attacking anyone. It is defending. Abandoning defense gives away the game before it starts
- kuraudo 5y ago
  Ukraine became the aggressor when it tried to join a hostile military alliance that Russia is not allowed to join right on russias border. That people attempt to justify this as Ukraines unassailable right shows you the sheer power of western propaganda. Imagine if Mexico played host to Chinese and Russian missile launchers pointed at our major cities jn the same way Poland does.
  - QuarterReptile 5y ago
    To prove just how unreasonable it is for Ukraine to think they would need a military alliance oriented against Russia, Russia invades Ukraine? >Imagine if Mexico played host to Chinese and Russian missile launchers pointed at our major cities jn the same way Poland does. The fact that Mexico doesn't probably says something. I'm sure there's a lot of money in hosting Chinese military assets. All this is to say nothing about the incongruities between your explanation and the many and varied lies about why the invasion that was happening both wasn't an invasion and wasn't happening...
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    > Imagine if Mexico played host to Chinese and Russian missile launchers pointed at our major cities jn the same way Poland does. By the same argument that this justifies attacking Ukraine, you must think the US would be justified in attacking Canada if Mexico hosted the Chinese and Russian missiles you describe.