Putin Wants A New Russian Empire - He Must Be Stopped

 

Vladimir Putin has invade the sovereign nation of Ukraine. He has tried to justify the invasion by claiming that Russians were being mistreated in that nation. It was a lie. He then claimed that Nazi's were in control of Ukraine and posed a danger to Russia. That was another lie. Ukraine is a democracy that elected a Jewish president (who has proven to be intelligent and heroic).

The truth is much darker. Putin, a former KGB agent, still laments to dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 2014, he called the collapse of the USSR the disaster of the century. His dream is to re-establish a Russian empire -- with him as its authoritarian head.

Why would he think he could get away with such an outrageous thing? Sadly, because the free world has allowed him to think such a thing was possible. The world did virtually nothing when he sent his troops into Georgia. The world did virtually nothing when he seized control of Crimea (which was a part of Ukraine). Then Trump became president, and instantly began kissing Putin's butt -- and causing dissension in NATO.

Putin got the idea that NATO was a toothless relic of the past - a relic that could not and would not stand in the way of his dream of empire. He decided he could act with impunity, and invaded Ukraine -- hoping to make it the first of his new conquests. If he succeeded, he could then take on the other breakaway republics.

Hopefully, he has misjudged the situation. Ukraine has not rolled over and quickly surrendered as he had expected. They are fighting, and while they may not be able to succeed, they can make it difficult and possibly a lengthy process. And Russians will start to see thousands of their soldiers come home in body bags.  There is already some dissent happening in Russia, and this will only increase it.

In addition, NATO has proven stronger than Putin believed. In fact, the invasion has strengthened NATO, and they are now a more powerful force. The NATO countries have joined in much more powerful sanctions than ever in the past. The new sanctions, if left intact, will do serious damage to the Russian economy (which wasn't doing great anyway).

If the economy collapses and the Ukrainians continue to hold out, Putin's position as the Russian leader could even be in danger. I hope so. Putin has overreached, and the West must hold firm. He must pay a heavy price for invading Ukraine -- a price so severe that he will never consider doing that again with any country.

His dream of empire must be stopped now!