Summary

Germany warns that Russia is rearming faster than expected, replacing war losses and stockpiling tanks, missiles, and drones.

Putin has redirected Russia’s economy to fuel its military, aided by supplies from Iran and North Korea.

While there’s no clear evidence of plans to attack NATO, Russia is creating the conditions for it.

On the Ukraine front, Russian forces are advancing in south Donetsk, nearing strategic town Pokrovsk, a key supply hub and coal mining center.

Analysts suggest Putin aims to seize land before potential peace talks.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I’m sorry, but even with the U.S. out of NATO, Russia would get their ass kicked. Putin must know that.

    • TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org
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      3 months ago

      All depends on if NATO as a whole isn’t just a bluff. Are the UK, Germany and France, the three remaining major economies after the US leaves, actually going to go to war with Russia over Lithuania (no offense at all toward Lithuanians), for example? That’s what he’s testing, and that’s why he wants the US out.

          • Madison420@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            Yes.

            I’m not sure if people know the history of trilateral defense agreements.

            Iirc it was the French and English who put their war on hold to fight the Spanish specifically because of a weird defense pact.

            • RedditRefugee69
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              3 months ago

              Do you mind if I borrow your crystal ball? You seem unusually certain of things most leading experts would call “very likely.”

          • vga@sopuli.xyz
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            3 months ago

            NATO was specifically created to counter a Russian invasion, so it would be kinda weird if it didn’t do the exact thing it was built for.

          • Auli@lemmy.ca
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            3 months ago

            No they won’t. They’ll yell and saber rattle. Won’t do anything till it reflects them as history has shown.

          • TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip
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            3 months ago

            I don’t think it would matter because if Lithuania is invaded, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Finland are joining the fight and that’s already a huge war in Europe. Sweden seems ready to defend and if Sweden goes it’s pretty safe to assume Denmark and Norway are going as well.

            Then, if Denmark is fighting, the Netherlands are probably going to help and if the Netherlands are at war so it’s Belgium, you see the pattern. So while I don’t think Spain would want to defend Lithuania, they would defend France.

      • barsoap@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        NATO could crumble and Germany and France would still come to Lithuania’s aid, they’re an EU member. With NATO gone UK might technically not be on the hook any more but they’d still get into the fray, despite their faults and their insistence that they’re not they’re still Europeans.

        The actually difficult part would be stopping Poland from bee-lining for Moscow, nukes be damned. They don’t spend 4.7% of GDP because they plan on sitting back.

        • njm1314@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          That’s a lot of faith to have in treaties. Historically Nations tear up treaties of the drop of a hat. They’re only as valuable as the vested interest of those involved.

              • barsoap@lemm.ee
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                3 months ago

                Nations, towns, families, your left hand agreeing with the right, all just treaties, got you. Maybe go a bit easier on the reductionism.

                  • barsoap@lemm.ee
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                    3 months ago

                    We have common elections, we have a common citizenship, we have a common identity, in many areas it’s even common to identify as European over the nation state. That is, regional identity first, then European, then whatever nation state the region ended up in.

                    All just a treaty.

    • blakenong@lemmings.world
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      3 months ago

      I think the plan is to be ready for WWIII, when China, Russia, Iran, and… haha…. North Korea, team up.