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Russian authorities arrest more than 5,000 anti-war protesters in cities across Russia


It's inspiring to see so many Russians in at least 53 major cities risk arrest and imrisonment, or worse, such is their outrage at their own government's massive invasion of Ukraine, and slaughter of unarmed civilians, just in a vain attempt to demoralize the Ukraine government to make them surrender. If anything, it has steeled Ukraiinians' resolve to fight to the last man.

There is also possibly similar resistance among the Russian soldiers in Ukraine themselves. A 42-mile Russian military convoy headed for the Ukraine capital of Kiev has been stalled and not moved for 6 days now. This could manifest that the conscripted Russian soldiers themselves don't want to fight. There are about 190,000 Russian soldiers in the invasion force, who would occupy a Ukrainian nation of over 40 million people, only a tiny fraction of them Russian-speaking. The Russians can lay waste to cities with artillery, but they cannot hope to occupy Ukrainian cities, and will eventually have to withdraw. They can only hope to keep the Russian-dominated regions (see the language map of Ukraine I posted earlier) such as Crimea and other provinces on the easternmost border with Russia.
And the Russian soldiers can't be eager to go into cities where they will lose all advantage.

I've yet to hear a clear explanation of Putin's ultimate goal in all this. It seems like an enormous waste of resources and lives. That will ultimately cause Putin to be pushed out as leader of Russia. And with the prospect of losing all power, and possibly being tried and executed for war crimes, Putin has no incentive to back down. He has already threatened to use nuclear weapons. Either inside Ukraine, or against NATO countries, including the U.S.

Just prior to Russia invading Ukraine, they had amassed 130,000 soldiers on the Ukraine border, about 70% of Russia's available infantry. At now 190,000 in Ukraine, that has risen to close to 100% of available forces. That's an enormous risk. Putin has brought in military divisions from as far away as Vladivostok. If Russia were to face an external invasion from anywhere on its vast border, or an internal uprising.... there would be no reserve to deal with it. This could be the catalyst for a Russian revolution.