Russia-Ukraine Invasion

Out of context: Reply #1576

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  • drgs0

    Most European empires have left their imperial complexes in the 20th century. Russia is the only European ex-empire which was preserved through USSR till 1991 and still hasn't digested it.

    There is one large difference: West-Europe was mostly thalassocracies/empires at sea and it was only natural for their remote maritime realms to drop off at some point because of the distances.

    Russia is an empire at land shaped by its geography. Even if it falls apart all of its members remain to be neighbors, so it's sort of never "off the table".

    The other two land empires in Europe are the Roman empire, which is already in the past, and the German empire, which was forever castrated in WW2.

    Russia needs to have a similar humiliating defeat as Germany -- a death of their collective ego. Russians look down on Ukrainians as younger siblings, so a Ukrainian victory is the perfect scenario. Ukraine absolutely must win.

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    drgs 0Permalink
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    • Well, it looks like Ukraine is in the process now of winning. In the past days 1000 square kilometres have been recaptured.NBQ00
    • The humiliating defeat of Germany in WW1 played a part in radicalising Hitler.Chimp
    • Whatever happens, dont sell your first row tickets to this history show, next decade will be interestingdrgs
    • @chump - Not quite - it was the humiliating terms set upon Germany in her defeat, by France principally, that created the Third Reich.Nairn
    • lol, sorry - "@chImp"!!
      @drgs - I'm pretty sure I've said as much about Russia needing 'a korrektion' in this thread prior.      Nairn
    • ..but interesting to put it into terms of sea vs. land empires..Nairn
    • Very true, good points drgs. Russia should have followed the rest of Europe towards social democracy which was what Gorbachev wanted.yuekit
    • I think Russia already went through the first humiliating defeat which was the collapse of the USSR and loss of their imperialist territories like Ukraine.yuekit
    • So Putin is more like Hitler coming to power after his country was already defeated. Hitler fought in WW1, Putin was a KGB agent stationed in East Germanyyuekit
    • where he watched the USSR collapse. The boomer ex-KGB officials running Russia are still obsessed with fighting the West.yuekit
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