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The best way for the EU to 'fight' russia would be to not be dependent on it for energy. Russia can also do what it likes because of the constant nuclear threa

by nly 4y ago

The best way for the EU to 'fight' russia would be to not be dependent on it for energy. Russia can also do what it likes because of the constant nuclear threat. Russia has nukes that work, whereas the likes of the UK has a single nuclear sub that occasionally gets stuck on a sand banks. The Russians probably know where it is at all times.

cpursley 4y ago
Yup. It's actually the same answer how we should have fought middle eastern terrorism after 911. The answer was for the west to become energy independent from the middle east as fast and sustainability as possible.
warinukraine 4y ago
> Russia has nukes that work Does it? Nominally, Russia has roughly the same number of nukes as the US. The US military budget is 700bn/yr and it spends 60bn/yr in maintaining its nuclear weapons. So 60bn/yr is a good estimate for what it costs to maintain a US/Russia-sized nuclear weapons arsenal. Russia spends 60bn/yr on its military in _total_. However much of that goes into maintaining its nuclear arsenal is clearly not nearly enough. By all accounts Russia can't even maintain its trucks. Most likely the budget for nuclear maintenance is "disappearing" the same way that much state money disappears in Russia. Surely no on believes that Russia has been spending 60bn/yr since the 70s, when the last nuke was detonated. Russia no longer has nuclear weapons, you heard it here first.
- flerchin 4y ago
  You make a good point, the Russkies should schedule a test. If that violates a treaty, well that never seemed to bother them before.
- WitCanStain 4y ago
  It doesn't take very many to ruin a nation, and no one will be comforted by the fact that you were wrong when the plumes comes down from the sky.
- dotnet00 4y ago
  Even if they have only one working nuke, in the right spot it would still be hundreds of thousands or millions dead/injured and a crippled nation for at least a few years.
brnt 4y ago
Fortunately there are other nuclear powers in the EU. It was one EU country in particular that was very vulnerable for a few separate reasons for the Russian gas politics, but they have seen the errors of their ways at long last. Dependence on Russian energy is significantly reduced and there more than every intention to reduce this to zero. Note that the intention was always there, gas was only ever a stopgap between now and fully renewable.

by nly 4y ago

cpursley 4y ago

Yup. It's actually the same answer how we should have fought middle eastern terrorism after 911. The answer was for the west to become energy independent from the middle east as fast and sustainability as possible.

warinukraine 4y ago

> Russia has nukes that work Does it? Nominally, Russia has roughly the same number of nukes as the US. The US military budget is 700bn/yr and it spends 60bn/yr in maintaining its nuclear weapons. So 60bn/yr is a good estimate for what it costs to maintain a US/Russia-sized nuclear weapons arsenal. Russia spends 60bn/yr on its military in _total_. However much of that goes into maintaining its nuclear arsenal is clearly not nearly enough. By all accounts Russia can't even maintain its trucks. Most likely the budget for nuclear maintenance is "disappearing" the same way that much state money disappears in Russia. Surely no on believes that Russia has been spending 60bn/yr since the 70s, when the last nuke was detonated. Russia no longer has nuclear weapons, you heard it here first.

flerchin 4y ago
You make a good point, the Russkies should schedule a test. If that violates a treaty, well that never seemed to bother them before.
WitCanStain 4y ago
It doesn't take very many to ruin a nation, and no one will be comforted by the fact that you were wrong when the plumes comes down from the sky.
dotnet00 4y ago
Even if they have only one working nuke, in the right spot it would still be hundreds of thousands or millions dead/injured and a crippled nation for at least a few years.

brnt 4y ago

Fortunately there are other nuclear powers in the EU. It was one EU country in particular that was very vulnerable for a few separate reasons for the Russian gas politics, but they have seen the errors of their ways at long last. Dependence on Russian energy is significantly reduced and there more than every intention to reduce this to zero. Note that the intention was always there, gas was only ever a stopgap between now and fully renewable.