> My guess is that he was counting on support from within the Russian power structure that was promised but then didn't materialize That makes sense, yes. It m

> My guess is that he was counting on support from within the Russian power structure that was promised but then didn't materialize That makes sense, yes. It may have been real world Diplomacy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy_(game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy_(game)): “if you attack Moscow, I’ll support you” with a backstab.