I know those arguments and reject them. Hopefully you will too eventually.
Feeling wronged gives Russia no right to trample on the sovereignty of 40 million Ukrainians - who wanted to join NATO of their own free will.
Anyway.
Feeling wronged gives Russia no right to trample on the sovereignty of 40 million Ukrainians - who wanted to join NATO of their own free will.
Anyway.
It's pretty clear he thought he would just roll in and take over Ukraine in the first month, the West seemed to think so too. Now thats not true and it's clearly a mistake what are his options? Withdrawal and losing is likely to end up with him dead, maybe his family too. Keeping at it MIGHT still see him win the day, especially if energy prices in Europe keep sky rocketing and their commitment gets shaky, doubly so if the United States has another decrease in GDP next cycle and rethinks foreign aid.
What decision points does Putin have right now that maximize his personal survival and that of his family? Whats the obvious play that Im missing? Sometimes you make mistakes and your only options are to double down and hope it works out or accept the defeat. The defeat in this case will prove terminal, so its a non option for him.
I think the number one reason he doesn't quit, is not fear of being killed, it is the damage quitting would do to his ego and reputation. Is death the thing that scares Putin the most? Maybe, his reputation is more important to him than his life.
And if he really wanted to go, I'm sure some Middle Eastern country would be happy to grant him asylum, where he would be quite safe from anyone who wanted to physically harm him. Safety for his family could easily be arranged as well.
I also don't think he would be safe at all in any country. Russia has openly poisoned people in Great Britain, you think they would care about some Middle Eastern country? And it's likely Russia who would go after him. And people would laugh and say it's just desserts, even people in the international community. What bribes can he grant once he is out of power that would make people want to protect him? Only thing I could see is if he gave nuclear weapons to some countries in violation of the Nuclear Proliferation treaties in exchange for protection.