Ramifications: Putin’s Mistake

Peter Hitchens said on UK’s talk radio that Putin’s Ukrainian invasion was worse than a crime, it was a mistake. His cabinet and even foreign minister Lavrov were probably in the dark about whatever his goal was in invading Ukraine.

The West probably fomented this by toppling the Yanukovitch government and replacing it with one hell bent on joining NATO.

If some of the Eastern European countries were not part of NATO they could have actually helped the Ukrainian defence even more helping to prevent a flood of westwards bound refugees, by open military and tactical operations against the Russians. As members of NATO they are somewhat paralysed, in order to prevent nuclear war.

The West’s economic sanctions on Russia will impoverish the Russian economy a lot more. The Russians could be embroiled in un-winnable conflicts in their Western boundaries leaving Russia’s southern & eastern boundaries more exposed.

The economic sanctions will impoverish not just Russia but all the satellite states in its easterly & southern margins. China may reconsider re-opening boundary disputes with Russia to reclaim lost territories from the 19th century when Russia gained territory larger than France from the Chinese. China may well prove a more implacable foe than the West.

The Siberians have known this for years – they have feared encroachments from the south & east.

Putin’s mistake may only speed up an unwinding of Russia.