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refreshing_username t1_jeb7z2o wrote

>It was part of the post-WWII, Cold War era in which the Soviet Union was viewed as an expansionist threat into western Europe

If only there were some sort of pattern we could discern...

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DaveOJ12 t1_jecaeu9 wrote

What's that pattern?

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refreshing_username t1_jechjg4 wrote

Russians wanting to expand their empire. I'm afraid my joke...uh, what is the word? Oh yeah. Sucked.

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themagicbong t1_jecsb23 wrote

The poor, poor, biggest country on Earth just never had enough land, you see. The saddest thing one could ever imagine. They could always use a lil more.

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nomad_556 OP t1_jecvksj wrote

What’s interesting is that Russia’s military has a very curious dichotomy. One of my college professors was deployed many times as a logistics officer, and has a masters in history. She’s very well qualified to talk military history and while I was studying she pointed out an interesting trend.

Russia’s military is very poorly structured for attack. They don’t have a great Air Force or navy. They don’t train for assault, and their doctrine is old. Aside from WW2, modern Russia hasn’t really ever attempted to invade a foreign nation on a large scale (except Ukraine, which has been an abject failure).

What they are REALLY good at is defending their land. They have a ton of armor, a ton of artillery. Almost everyone who’s tried to invade Russia has failed. Hitler failed, napoleon failed, the Japanese almost succeeded but couldn’t quite (Russo-Japanese war prior to WW1).

It’s why Ukraine is going so poorly. Russia simply isn’t great at invasions. But they’re damned good at protecting the motherland (although they’d probably fall eventually if attacked by nato, it would be a long and bloody war).

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