I'm not sure they are "weak and powerless" but it's almost certain they won't deploy their full capabilities until they work out what NATO is going to do. From

I'm not sure they are "weak and powerless" but it's almost certain they won't deploy their full capabilities until they work out what NATO is going to do. From NATO's point of view it's probably better to let the Russians become weaker through attrition before doing anything anyway, which truly sucks if you are Ukrainian. If the news about things like the F35 being only half operational are true, NATO might not be the overwhelming force we assume it is either. Australia is having a lot of trouble making them operational: https://theconversation.com/australia-spent-billions-on-jet-fighters-off-the-plan-now-were-having-trouble-even-flying-them-177156 https://theconversation.com/australia-spent-billions-on-jet-...