this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2025
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cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/59867996

German media outlets Süddeutsche Zeitung, WDR, and NDR also cite the report, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears intent on testing NATO’s Article 5 guarantees. The alliance’s mutual defence clause obliges member states to come to one another’s aid if attacked. The assessment suggests Putin may seek to challenge how seriously that commitment would be honoured.

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[–] [email protected] 91 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

They burned through their Soviet stockpiles of artillery and tanks in 3 years fighting Ukraine, what makes anyone think they could fight NATO?

[–] [email protected] 136 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Depends which side the US is on

[–] [email protected] 59 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Bingo.

And also depends on which side China is on. Their war production dwarfs even the US, and I find it difficult to believe that it will all be spent fighting the US and Taiwan.

There is a very real possibility that these three countries gang up together and divide the world among themselves.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

At this point it seems much more likely that the US sides with Russia than China. The EU is their largest trading partner, they'd never risk losing that market.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Why would Russia risk alienating China?

In realpolitik, China is the more desirable partner than the USA.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Russia has alienated China already by being an unstable and unpredictable mess of a country.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The problem is China is right there, and a lot of parts of Russia used to have Chinese names.

Mostly, Siberia is literally infinite resources, the kind of thing China desperately needs.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

Why would either need to side with Russia? They only have 140m people, a untrustworthy and soon to be unstable government. If you're aim is to carve up territory then you don't give a potential long term adversary access to half a billion people.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Alliances aren't forever. Hitler and Stalin made an agreement not to fight each other, which worked to the benefit of both for a while, and the Trump admin and Putin are more closely aligned ideologically than those two ever were. Alliances can be made for expedience and short-term gain, even with a potential long-term adversary.

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[–] [email protected] 48 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

US has a sizeable advantage in terms of sheer firepower but lacks the collective will to side with Russia in a conflict with NATO. To be clear, the Trump administration might try to side with Russia and the initial consequences of that would be very serious. But, long term, I think that would bring a swift end to the US' global dominance. Potentially even bringing us to the point of total collapse.

That's just one American's perspective though.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

As an European, could you please collapse before siding with Russia over us? That would be great, thanks.

Alternatively, and much preferred, just kick the whole Trump administration into the ocean, hold your own Nuremberg trials and start refreshed into the future. K thx bye.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 weeks ago

Alternatively, and much preferred, just kick the whole Trump administration into the ocean, hold your own Nuremberg trials and start refreshed into the future. K thx bye.

I like the way you think.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Don't worry, we would.

The south would demand we side with the champions of (white) Christian culture.

The coasts would finally have enough and we'd continue the civil war we should have finished 160 years ago.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Reconstruction ending the way it did was a national tragedy.

Second times the charm as they say. . .

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

But is there a downside for the guy running our country?

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Their unlimited supplies of Russian delusions of superiority.

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 3 weeks ago (9 children)

So I just looked into the numbers quickly and am probably off by a bit

NATO has 3.2m active military personnel and 2.2m in reserve

Russia has 1.5m active and 2m reserve

BUT, American forces make up 1.3m of NATOs active and 800k reserve

If I were to randomly combine the American army with Russia rather than NATO for no particular reason,

NATO would have 1.9m active 1.4m reserve and the Axis-sorry I mean Russia and America would have 2.8m active 2.8m reserve...

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Maybe this is a suicidal plan, Putin is going to die and wants to take the world with him. From what we know about him, he is megalomaniacal and sadistic enough to want something like this.

He must also be counting on the United States being out of NATO by then, maybe Trump will even send some soldiers to help his Russian allies.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It has nothing to do with wanting to actually fight NATO. The idea is to manufacture a carefully crafted situation where Article 5 is triggered, but due to internal disagreement and individual risk, it is not fully honored.

Needless to say, any such move would be very risky.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Take out putin now and set the stage for a world at "peace" with humanity's eye back on a civilized future.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Problem is the people waiting to take over from Putin. They're not at all nice.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Take them out first so it looks like Putin is doing it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

None of the candidates are nice and most are much, much worse. Don't recall the name, but one of them basically is ready to drop the h bombs and push us all straight into WWIII because reasons.

If anyone takes out Putin, they'll have to take out the entire military top and government of Russia with it or we're all fucked

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

Eh, it's the sword rattling. Common tactic to make himself look strong and to be feared. He could still be spineless or once not under watchful eye of Putin, a drastically different person.

Putin isn't known for keeping people around if they're a threat to him.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Elsewhere on Lemmy today;

Russia has depleted its tank stocks: the industry is not covering combat losses

Both of these cannot be true.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Well they can both be true, It just depends on Putin's mental state.

There was a rumor going around that he is dying and he is basically just doing this to try and make a name for himself, he will rebuild the USSR and it will stand for a thousand years as him as its founding father, and all that rubbish. Of course it's impossible for that to happen, but if he's dying anyway why not try?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

Hmm who do we know that will sell anything that isn't tied down and currently controls the US government and is buddy buddy with Putin? No, not Satan, but you are close!

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Considering that Putin got his ass absolutely beat by a small country using second hand and surplus military hardware he'd have to be an absolute moron to pick a fight with NATO. Literally the only card he has to play is nukes and that's kind of an all or nothing sort of move. If nukes are off the table any concerted push by NATO is going to be mopping up in moscow within a few months.

That's also assuming the US doesn't get serious about it, but considering Putin's puppet in the Whitehouse there's a pretty good chance the US would quit NATO and so wouldn't factor in. Even without the US though Russia has demonstrated the rest of NATO is far more than sufficient to handle Russia.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Poland + Ukraine is enough to practically destroy Russia.

Honestly I really hope putin just croaks over and dies at this point, the old fuck has practically killed endless amounts of his own people just for land. He can't use the excuse of "Hur dur NATO is encroaching on my borders via Ukraine" because Finland is in NATO now thanks to his stupidity.

He's gambling with WW3 with a high chance of losing it.

And he can't keep America under his grasp forever, by the end of the decade trump could lose the election or get couped by anyone.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

Taking how successful Russia was on the battlefield of Ukraine, I'm going to go ahead and say "try us"

I know that Europe is a bit behind on military spending but that is rapidly changing and in the meantime Russia lost nearly a million soldiers on the frontline. That alone is enough to cripple the nation for the next two decades.

It's hard to see how Russia is going to do anything of that. The only "strength" it currently has is misinformation which works well for the US right now but that will have its limits soon enough

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

With what? I read yesterday they were not able to keep up with the losses from just fighting the ukraine.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

10yrs? That long? Is Putin really that healthy? He looks like he has Cushing’s.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 3 weeks ago

End of the decade is 31-12-2029, which is about 4.7 years away, not 10.

10 years would be "within/in/over a decade".

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

King of the Ash Pile is a cool title

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

Honestly, I believe Europe needs to go on the offensive, we need a single unified offensive against Moscow with the intent of crippling the KGB and arresting Putin. They are both too dangerous to be left to their own devices.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Germany has to pump out these messages because they live so far from the critical border. It's easy to not understand the risk.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Germany is still so uncertain of the risk that they still use Russian gas even 4 years after saying they were going to stop.

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