I’d say it’s all about funding from Moscow. They are sort of shareholders in Russia’s resources, including its population that can be used to staff an army.

And if they play their cards right, they can take a share of the resources of their own countries, which they, looking at both Russia and MAGA and Israel, really want. Nation-states have a lot of resources. And it’s visible how one can have those resources maintaining a semblance of legality and with no revolution happening. People are ready to kill for much less, even risk death for a chance at getting much less.

Divide and conquer - I don’t think so. “International brotherhood of thieves” is more like it.

“Team red-blue vs team black” (meaning liberal-democrats+commies vs fascists) is past us, “team red vs team blue” (meaning commies vs liberal-democrats) is past us as well. Even “team empire vs team rebel” is secondary. It’s really “team thugs vs team suckers” now.

Yep, such positioning is not as epic as people in the interwebs would want it to be! It actually smells of piss. But that’s just how it is.