Vladimir Putin is going on a property hunt, ordering officials to find Russian assets that once belonged to its former empire or were owned by the Soviet Union.
An order from the Russian president published late Thursday allocated funding for a state unit to conduct searches for property abroad and ensure Russia’s ownership rights are registered. The document didn’t indicate the size of the budget for the operation or what kinds of property are being sought.
While it’s unclear what prompted the order, Putin’s interest in former imperial possessions is unlikely to ease concerns about his ambitions among neighboring states after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upended European security.
At its peak, the Russian Empire extended into territories of modern Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Finland. It dissolved under the pressure of World War I and the 1917 Bolshevik revolution led by Vladimir Lenin that marked the birth of the Communist state.
At some point, why does NATO not just stomp Russia flat? They’re weak as hell from trying, and failing, to beat up their little brother.
NATO: “I dunno. This guy who has threatened us, nonstop for decades, is on the ropes, and keeps threatening us. Gosh. What do we do now?”
The answer has always been MAD. But does Russia even have flying nukes any longer? They sure as fuck can’t field tanks and rifles and men. Or naval vessels. Or airplanes. Or… anything.
I came of age in the Cold War, never been a hawk before now, but FFS are we going to put up with this vile country forever?!
I came of age as a small man dealing with bullies, and not the social media kind. Real bullies that would kick the shit out of you when no one was looking, and sometimes when they were. Constantly on the lookout at school, at the park, at the mall, at Circle K, everywhere.
Know how to beat them? Stand the fuck UP. You (mostly) don’t have to exchange fists, merely get up in their face, show them violence is on the table.
But no, we’ll puss around, wring our hands, clutch our pearls. We’ll “practice” sending troops running about, we’ll leak our “super serious training plans”.
Bow up on Russia NOW, fight if we must, or continue to suffer for countless more decades.
We don’t know for sure the nukes don’t work, it isn’t worth the risk to even act like we’ll be the aggressors. Just one functional nuke could cost millions their lives, don’t be so reckless
We don’t know for sure, but it certainly is interesting that certain “nuclear powers” are stirring up shit. It’s almost like they’re afraid that the real nuclear powers are about to discover that the nukes, in fact, don’t work, and won’t be a deterrent anymore.
How are they not a deterrent? Nukes launched by a nuclear power mean equal response and within a few hours we’ve bombed ourselves back to the Middle Ages at best with most of the population gone or soon to starve or freeze in nuclear winter
If we suddenly find out that all of China’s and Russia’s nukes don’t work, they aren’t an effective deterrent
We don’t have and never will have 100% sure way of knowing that none of the nukes work. It’s also highly unlikely any nuclear power would let their arsenal fall into such a state, especially since possession of nuclear weapons is a massive deterrent to possible attackers.
Interesting that you’re completely omniscient. I wonder what that’s like.
We absolutely can have 100% confirmation with geiger counters, and there is reason to believe that the corruption in those two powers has run so rampant that none of their nukes are functioning.
Their economies just won’t support that expensive of a weapons program. It’s literally how we bankrupted the USSR, and neither economy has surpassed the economic might of the USSR, in fact, both are close to collapse.
lol you think the modern militaries of the world can be completely countered with Geiger counters? Alright, enjoy living in delusion, I see no need to continue this and I’m just glad you’re not in charge of anything.
Russia owns a lot of politicians in NATO countries who run interference for them. Also, they do still have at least a few functioning nukes. It’s not as simple as you make it out to be.
Because NATO is a defensive alliance.
Yrah no, life doesn’t work like that. You’re not playing Hearts of Iron. War is horror, death, rape, famine. It’s terrible for everyone involved and hurts even those far away from the front lines. “More war.” Has not been and will never be the way forward, that is the path that leads back to the stone age.
The fact that you survived growing up a bullied kid with no supports, doesn’t mean you came out alright, just saying. Just because greater aggression gives the illusion that it could end war, does not mean it will.
We should never forget that it’s not an evil country or evil people, but evil or mad leadership.