The purpose of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow this week was to warn Russia not to attack NATO member states, according to multiple people familiar with the matter, amid U.S. intelligence assessments that Russia could try to test NATO.

    • Taldan@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      Yes, with the operative word being mobilization

      Russia would need to conscript soldiers, which they tried to do a few years ago to disastrous results – public pushback forced them to walk it back

      That’s why they want NATO involved, it allows them to say mobilization is needed because NATO is threatening the homeland

      It’s a balancing act. They want to provoke NATO enough to sell the story of NATO threatening the homeland, but not so much that Russia actually has significant fighting against MATO

      Putin feels he needs a military victory, and is taking increasingly large gambles to get it

      Watch closely, because the US is following a similar path, just a few years behind

      • phutatorius@lemmy.zip
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        16 hours ago

        Just like Trump.

        The good news is that, if one goes, we’ll very soon be rid of the other as well.

        • Hanrahan@slrpnk.net
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          16 hours ago

          I was speaking online to a Russian acquaintance living in Germany, she said people do not understand that Russia will never give up…ever. She saw that as a badge of pride

    • The_Terrible_Humbaba@slrpnk.net
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      1 day ago

      They were not capable of taking Ukraine in 3 days, but they still tried unfortunately. More important than what they can do, is what they think they can do. And more than that, is what they might want to/see as benefitial to do, whether it might succeed or not. And by “they” in this case, I really just mean Putin.

      • ms.lane@lemmy.world
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        22 hours ago

        Had it not been for US, they might have taken Ukraine.

        VDV getting annihilated at Hostomel airport is a direct result of US warning Ukraine that the Tank column was effectively a feint and that they needed to hold that airport at all costs.

    • nymnympseudonym@piefed.social
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      1 day ago

      massive mobilization

      That’s not how Russia fights NATO. It’s done with “asymmetric tactics” – terrorism, basically.