Oof that's not a great idea. Protecting sovereignty is a hard enough sell internationally. Selling an invasion isn't something the international community is really showing an interest in right now.
I agree, putin is looking to glorify his accomplishments as "president". I think the moment he wants to use nukes his ersatz administration will be forced to pull the plug. Hopefully he dies as humiliatingly as all fascists deserve to die.
His successor will still be some flavor of authoritarian. My hope is that within the 3rd administration after putin the world will see Russians leading democracy.
That is to say, I'd like to see truly free and fair elections, rights of the people restored, ethnic Russian culture accepted and embraced, progressive social values supported, and freedom of the press protected.
@FrowingFostek@wintermute_oregon
It would be nice, but it won't happen. Russia has been ruled by Autocrats for 1,000 years. The revolution wasn't an uprising. It was a war fought by the Bolsheviks against everybody else. The Russian population simply fell in line with the new Autocrats, starting with Lenin. There has never been an uprising in Russia.
@wintermute_oregon@NOT_RICK
Putin's successor has been shadowing Putin for years, and was selected by him and the core leadership. Politically, he is Putin's clone. It will be a seamless succession.
The issue is escalating where Russia feels the need to use nukes. That is a no win for everyone.
If the other option is just letting Russia run continuously unchecked across sovereign nations, then I guess we eat some nukes. However, Russia knows the first nuke they detonate means not even their liege, China, will defend them.