*** Official Putin Started Shootin' Thread ***

[CoccoBill]

I don't think Putin has to either escalate or de-escalate, or if it's the former that it necessarily means using nukes. As it is, I think the war is just going to drag out for a few more weeks if not months before anything like that happens.

With the supply issues, low troop morale, continuing protests in Russia and the crippling sanctions I don't think he can keep this up for weeks, let alone months. He's gotta be able to show results and turn this into a win in his people's eyes, preferably asap.

[Poopadoop]

He's gotta be able to show results and turn this into a win in his people's eyes, preferably asap.

Well, if he can ban all foreign news and just have RT left he can spin things any way he wants, right?

[CoccoBill]

Well, if he can ban all foreign news and just have RT left he can spin things any way he wants, right?

Well it's worked so far, let's see for how long. A large portion of the population knows exactly what's going on but have just been too scared to do anything. Despite mass arrests it seems the anti-war protests aren't going away.

"The estimated number of anti-war protestors arrested by day is:

24 February: 1,965[22]
25 February: 643[23]
26 February: 533[24]
27 February: 2,857[25]
28 February: 516[126]
1 March: 329[127]
2 March: 852[128]
3 March: 498[129]
4 March: 80[130]
5 March: 84[131]
6 March: 2,316[132]"