Having Eviscerated Russian War Doctrine Putin Now Brags on the Superiority of Russia’s Nuclear Weapons

Having Eviscerated Russian War Doctrine Putin Now Brags on the Superiority of Russia’s Nuclear Weapons

Paul Craig Roberts

If Putin had not been a victim of his ridiculous belief that conflict can be avoided by turning the other cheek, and instead had been prepared to quickly and decisively demonstrate the cost of initiating conflict with Russia, we would not be at the point at which Putin has to reassure the Russian people that Russia’s nuclear weapons are the last line of defense.

Putin was caught off guard by Washington’s coup in Ukraine.  He stupidly responded with the Minsk Agreement and allowed himself to be deceived for eight years while Washington in plain view built and equipped a large Ukrainian army.  He stupidly refused the two Donbas independent republics’ appeal to accept them back into Russia like Crimea.  Putin’s refusal left the Russian peoples stuck into Ukraine by the Soviet government open to invasion and slaughter by the US trained and equipped army.  At the last minute it dawned on Putin that he had to intervene, but as he had made no preparation he lacked sufficient military resources and made no real effort to mobilize them.  Instead, he undertook not an invasion of Ukraine, but a Limited Military Operation to expel the Ukrainian force from the Russian territories.  

By failing to be prepared to decisively deal with a dangerous situation before the West had time to get involved and escalate the conflict, Putin created an ever-widening war that would have spun out of control if Putin had not declared the irresponsible attack on Russia’s strategic triad a “terrorist act,” not an act of war.

In other words, Putin chose to continue his denial of the reality of the situation.  What will be the next “terrorist act?”

https://www.rt.com/russia/618989-russia-most-advanced-nuclear-weapons/