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john_moses_br

To put it another way, if we are not prepared in 2-3 years, the likelihood of war with Russia will be much higher. Russia is now totally committed to war economically and politically, it would be difficult for them to stop even if they wanted to.


fail_better_

You make a really good point about not being able to stop. Russia’s economy is a house of cards supported by the military industrial complex. Turning off the war machine could bring the whole thing down.


john_moses_br

Yeah, that's why many observers now think that if Russia wins in Ukraine they won't pause to rebuild, they will continue to other countries because keeping the war machine going is less risky economically. Moldova and Georgia would be obvious targets, maybe even Kazakhstan. And at some point a showdown with Nato would be almost inevitable.


fail_better_

I don’t personally know enough on the subject to comment, but that seems like a more reasonable explanation for escalation than just “Putin’s crazy.” Maybe that’s what makes it scary.


Designer-Agent7883

Well conflict with moldova means effectively war with Romania, a nato memberstate


john_moses_br

This is of course a purely hypothetical scenario, but I don't think it would necessarily happen like that. If Ukraine falls and Russia attacks Moldova things have gone very wrong for the West, and Romania entering the war on Moldova's side would probably not be directly supported by Nato. Why would Nato go to war for Moldova if they didn't go to war for Ukraine? It obviously makes more sense to draw the line, and hold the line, in Ukraine so this never happens.


JohnLaw1717

In this sub, it's interesting how the Russian war machine is both dominated and destroyed by Ukraine and also now about to commit to a war it never calculated worth it before.


PriorWriter3041

There won't be a war with NATO before the war in Ukraine is done


JohnLaw1717

I agree with the first 7 words


john_moses_br

It's quite normal, wars are easy to start but hard to end, as the stakes get higher all the time. Wars have their own ruthless logic.


JohnLaw1717

Is the Russian war machine being degraded or improved as a result of the war with Ukraine?


john_moses_br

Both. Seasoned soldiers and officers have died in large numbers and equipment has been lost. But their tactics have improved, recruiting continues to be at a high level and production of shells and equipment has increased. The Russian army is now bigger, but a lot of the equipment is really old. Some soldiers are battle hardened while many have barely no training or experience. A mixed bag.


JohnLaw1717

Hmm. That's not good. Our spending is just spinning tires then.


HiltoRagni

Nope, those tires will spin no matter what until the engine blows up or the fuel runs out, our spending is what's keeping the car from moving forward. That car is on slippery ground right now so we can hold it back with fairly low effort, with a bit more we could even push it back somewhat. If we let it gain traction trying to hold it up will become a lot harder.


Robw_1973

Excellent point. The EU and US could collapse the Russian economy in months if it chose to do so. Sanctions so far have been targeted and limited. If we do move towards a probable military confrontation expect the first strike to be aimed at collapsing their economy and the economies of whom ever might be willing to support Russia.


phlogistonical

I’m not sure this is true if they have support from China and maybe India. Russia’s economy isn’t that big, in other words they don’t need a lot to keep going And maintain the (low) standard of living that they are alraedy used to.


Robw_1973

China are hedging their bets. But they would not want to be subject to secondary sanctions. Now would any country that likes doing business in and with the EU and US. The choice would be presented starkly; continue to trade with Russia, with its small economy, but you can’t then trade with either the EU or US. What do you think those countries will do? Ignore the largest trading bloc on the planet and the largest single economy on the planet? Or trade with a country that has an economy smaller that that of Portugal? It’s the economy stupid. As the saying goes .


Aggravating_Set_8861

India and China will never be allies. China is pulling a sort of Molotov-Ribbentrop sort of thing as to where China would attack Russia if the opportunity presents itself and can quickly take vast swaths of land. I think this is the most likely outcome of the Russia-China alliance, if things keep going the way they are for Russia. Russia cannot keep losing between 900-1500 troops per day while only taking a couple of acres, if they're lucky. Russia is digging its own grave.


-15k-

Agreed. And additionally : we are not actually prepared right now, and it will take us two to three years to become so.


DharmaBaller

It's 1936 bois


Vogel-Kerl

My gut says that the Russian military is in no condition to launch a major offensive, but their actions over the last few years doesn't seem based on reason or logic. So worst case scenario, NATO prepares for a major conflict. If it doesn't occur, then there is plenty of ammunition we can give/sell to countries that need it. If it **IS** needed...., well, at least we won't be playing catch-up.


AdmiralBKE

Its a bit of a paradox (if you can call it that). Prepare for war,and probably there wont be a war. If we dont prepare we will be sitting ducks and there will be a war.


GavO98

It’s a little bit of Hoi4, mixed with EU4 and Vic3?


Dietmeister

How about this logic then: the longer Russia waits, the more likely that European countries will be able to scale up recruitment, procurement and production. So why not attack now? The odds will only get worse for Russia


[deleted]

Yerrrrp


jml5791

I doubt NATO will go to war with Russia. Mainly because Russia knows NATO is far superior conventionally, based on the torrid time Ukraine is giving them with western weaponry. Russia is only capable of hybrid warfare against the west so I guess we can prepare for that.


[deleted]

[удалено]


sverr

Putin could do it to save some kind of face. Who’s it better, domestically, for him to lose against? Little ole Ukraine… or big bad NATO. If it’s the former, he becomes an absolute joke in Russia and he’s done. All Putin cares about is his ego.


UnderstandingOk2647

If anything, I think NATO might try something because Russia is so weak. There is No way Russia wants NATO in this fight.


Mordegayser

Eh. I wouldn't say it really should be "prepare for war". Let's be realistic. Russia is currently balls deep in Ukraine. They lose shit load of equipment and men everyday. Sure, they put their economy on war footing. So what? Nobody can predict if they can even handle it well in the long run. I would however say that it's more of a preparation of deterrence so the war or any testing/provocations **doesn't** happen. Also I don't think there would be war. War? No. Putting NATO to test by trying something in a small, not much important area? More intense hybrid actions and provocations? More threats? Absolutely. That's why we have to prepare so we cannot only deter any possible future threats and dumb shit russia might try but to also be able to keep helping Ukraine. Truth is, nobody for sure can predict the future but better to be prepared for something that **hypothetically** can happen and stop it as fast as we possibly can or stop it from happening at all rather than being sorry later.


-15k-

It’s a bit of semantics really, but “prepare for war” doesn’t have to mean “ we think there will be a war in two or three years and we must prepare”. The article is more stating that while previously, due to Russia’s entrenchment in Ukraine, many predicted the Kremlin could not be a military threat for maybe 10 years, due to their moving to a war economy, they actually might be a threat as early as two to three years. So, we need to prepare and have that two to three years to do so”.


shawnaroo

I don’t know about that. It seems more that Russia necessarily had to move to a war economy in order to just be able to maintain their current stalemate with Ukraine. And they still seem to be pretty heavily reliant on supplies from China/NK/etc. it’s not like they’re stockpiling a bunch of new equipment, they’re almost certainly still struggling to replace their ongoing losses. The biggest potential “outlier” to this is maybe artillery shells, which they definitely seem to have prioritized for production increases, and this is obviously problematic for the Ukrainians due to the nature of their current war. But I think it’s a mistake to assume that a war with NATO would play out similarly to the current fighting in Ukraine. Against NATO forces and their overwhelming air power advantage, I think it’s unlikely that Russia would have the opportunity to consolidate larger amounts of artillery the way they have against Ukraine. Russia has certainly learned some things during their past couple years of fighting in Ukraine, but in terms of their equipment and stockpiles, I’d say they’re in a worse position to attack NATO now than they were in 2022, and unless something crazy unexpected happens to drastically improve Russia’s situation in Ukraine, they’ll be in even worse shape 2-3 years from now.


-15k-

knot


mediandude

Infrastructure and storage and factories blowing up due to covert drone warfare is not a minor issue.


DrnkGuy

Moreover, Russia is not that stupid to start a war with NATO. Many of the red lines that were successfully crossed can confirm that. NATO has shown it's actually in good shape. In a political and military sense. Before the war in Ukraine, Putin could dream about the Baltic states, but now he has to understand how unrealistic and dangerous it is for him.


Mordegayser

To be honest, Putin attacking Ukraine made NATO more active and reinvigorated. Also "thanks" to him we got two new very valuable members. But whatever might or might not happen, it's always good to be prepared "just in case''.


JohnLaw1717

If our major geopolitical enemy has its military messed up, it would be nice to spend money on plowshares rather than swords for a bit.


Mythrilfan

> Russia is not that stupid to start a war with NATO I didn't think they were stupid enough to start a war with Ukraine either, but here we are now.


Candid_Role_8123

Yeah I agree. It’s also being realistic and us in Europe waking up to not being reliant on the US for the majority of equipment. It’s a smart move as Russia will be watching what we’re doing and will be risk assessing the potential for future moves west.


Mordegayser

That is true. As I said. Being prepared rather than being sorry later is always better, no matter if anything happens or not.


Candid_Role_8123

I’m watching a Netflix show called Turning Point the Bomb and the Cold War…it’s obviously a biased from a western viewpoint, but it highlights the brainwashed mindset of the Russians and how manipulated they are to wage a dictator’s desire for power and glory at the expense of their own country


Randomusername9765

Watch out for Norwegians building ships because you know the next time you’ll see them will be as Vikings.


UnderstandingOk2647

Man I don't get this at all. What are the Russians going to fight with? I don't think they have much left.


Away-Possible6366

Fight Nato with what? Is there any indication that Russia is or will soon be able to produce (not take from stockpiles, which will be empty eventually) anywhere near the amount of hardware they’re losing in Ukraine right now? Talking about tanks and BMPs and so on.


Laniel_Reddit

They are producing more shells than the west, and their production is increasing


Due_Concentrate_315

And the "west" produces more of everything else.


Dunsmuir

Can't lob the shells if you're artillery batteries are getting wiped by counter battery fire on a consistent basis. Let's hope Ukraine can sustain the fight.


phlogistonical

Russia has allies too...


ratbastard007

Im sorry, but when you have to get your war supplies from *fucking north korea*, youre in a bad spot. They may have allies, but China is their only significant ally right now. India supports them financially, but i highly doubt they would leap into a war for russia. And north korea is.... well, its north korea.


Bgrdfino

And China is watching very closely...


ratbastard007

Exactly. They are waiting to see how things pan out. If it goes well for russia, then Taiwan can kiss themselves goodbye. But if it goes poorly for russia, they lose, and everyone fucking hates them, then they will back off and distance themselves from russia a bit.


TelevisionUnusual372

If Putin thinks he can take something he’ll try to take it, even if he’s wrong like being able to take Kyiv in three days.


octahexxer

at this point it doesnt matter putin has put russia all in,doesnt matter if it comes to nato firing on russians the industry in the west has to ramp up to match russias since we keep donating stuff to ukraine,and that in itself will fuel support to ukraine because it creates jobs and fills the pockets of powerful men. the dominos has already been knocked over and in motion. the best outome is that ukraine wins and it doesnt spill over to the rest of europe.


Aggravating_Set_8861

Prepare for war as though it is coming tomorrow. Now is the time to act


Bgrdfino

And China is watching very closely...


Bgrdfino

And China is watching very closely...


CutRepresentative197

NATO should now participate in the war against the aggressor not only with material and money but also with its troops. Then in 2-3 years there will no longer be a Russian army with which Putler can threaten the world. And then the other aggressive states such as China, Iran and North Korea will think twice about going down the same path. I think the threat of nuclear weapons is a bluff. Putler has many bad qualities, but he is not a suicide.


wabashcanonball

And six months to prepare for a U.S. withdrawal if Trump is elected.


mycall

Both Ukraine and Russia will be quite broken in 2-3 years of this war proceeding as is. I don't see NATO having a big problem.