This new stuff feels different; this is about solidifying public opinion within Russia to support an incursion, rather than making external threats. I think you'd only do this if you were actually going to pull the trigger and do something, because Putin would look weak otherwise. Either he's going in or at the very least feels close to a major diplomatic concession that could be sold as a victory.
Yeah, as I said earlier today, Putin raised the stakes today. Yesterday he complained that West didn't push Ze to implement Minsk, and today he pulled the first trigger. I think, Minsk Agreement (perhaps, on drugs) is the least he can accept right now.
With that said, I still extremely doubtful about this Kiev thing, Biden keeps talking about. It doesn't help Ukraine, either.
Russian Bear,
What do average Russians think about all this, from your perspective? Do they find the reports from Russian media credible, and would a war be popular?
