I'm certainly no expert. If I have a viewpoint that has expertise to share, it is the Russian psychology as I lived there, traveled all over the country and FSU, married a Russian (who is actually half Ukrainian) and speak the language. But I've said throughout this thread that if your goal is to take down Putin, the attacks need to be financial. The problem is, of course, the west isn't willing to go after the energy sector in Russia because it hurts them. If you're not prepared to give yourself a cut, don't pull out the sword. But crazy people - and they/you are crazy - a war over the Ukraine is not something we should be going down unless we are prepared for the end of all things. If Putin is a madman like people claim (and he isn't) then why would you want to escalate against a madman who doesn't have fear of blowing the whole world up? Does that actually sound like a good idea? The Ruble - kill it. Continue killing it. Cause massive inflation. Psyops campaigns in Russia to foment discord. Get the "Russian Spring" going. Cut off all banks. SWIFT. Isolate financially. Prepare for energy alternatives in the short run - because you're gonna need them. Have some really smart (if any exist) intelligence people pick out what oligarchs could likely topple Putin if they had enough support from the people. Work to make Putin as unpopular as possible at home so someone gets brave enough to take him down. Go after the oligarchs. All their kids in western schools get kicked out and sent home. All their yachts and villas, confiscated in the countries they are in (the west). Ruin their lives outside of Russia. Get them so pissed at Putin that they start to scheme. Like they did to Tiberius in Rome. Make him flee. but hey, what do I know. I'm a Putin lover, right?
But neither you nor ShiteTrader are presenting facts. Trump said use the oil to pay for our costs there. He didn't say to take the oil.
She and all her friends are horrified. She thinks Putin has lost his mind, but she admits to not understanding the political situation. She has lost sleep this past week as she wonders about her family outside of Dnepropetrovsk. Her friends in Russia are quickly turning on Putin, and my Russian friends from Moscow are pissed off - really pissed off - that they have to go through this shit again after just getting their financial lives in order.