@gungasnake,
Quote:.... It is as if both Russia and the West were like two trains on the same tracks, going at full speed towards each other but with one big difference: the western “train” is steaming forward with its eyes closed, while the Russian train is going forward with its eyes wide open.The second big difference is the rage and determination which are expressed by Russians of all walks of life. The most often heard sentence now is “Русские не сдаются” (Russians don’t surrender). Russians find it amazing and absolutely crazy that the western “leaders” have apparently convinced themselves that the Russians will “blink” and let Obama scare them into not standing up for the Donbass. The mood is “if you really want a fight, then we will give you one”.....
It appears to me that the great risk of nuclear war is Latvia/Estonia/Lithuania. Russia seems just as eager to invade them as they are to invade Ukraine, but they are NATO countries. When Russia invades them, the United States will fight a nuclear war to protect them.
With Ukraine and Moldova, on the other hand, I don't see much risk of the war spreading or escalating. The West is not going to send soldiers to fight in Ukraine/Moldova. Rather they are going to train, arm, and equip the Ukrainians and Moldovans so that they can do their own fighting.
If anything, it appears to me that fighting in Ukraine and Moldova will help to avoid a nuclear war. Every day that Russia spends focused on Ukraine or Moldova is a day that they aren't invading Latvia/Estonia/Lithuania. If the West can drag out the fighting in Ukraine for long enough, it might completely forestall a subsequent invasion of the Baltic states.
Once Russian tanks start rolling into a NATO country, it'll be time to start thinking about fallout shelters.