Vladimir Putin has launched his invasion of Ukraine, seemingly expecting that his forces can subdue Ukrainian resistance. But the attack could severely destabilize his regime — with Russians already showing a notable lack of enthusiasm for war.
The Russians want to live in peace without jeopardizing security.
Yes, but that may not be what their government wishes (for various sorts of interests). Just ask any political refugee (eg. anarchist/queer people) from ex-USSR and they will tell you that Putin is rebuilding the Russian Empire and will provide you with ample evidence of both hard and soft power applied throughout ex-Empire/ex-USSR colonies. A key difference with historical russian empires though, is that Putin is delegating a lot of power to local rulers (eg. Kadyrov/Lukashenko) so that on paper their regions appear to be politically independent: it’s not formally an Empire. It’s a trick he learnt from western powers (USA in south america, France in Africa, etc).
Yes, but that may not be what their government wishes (for various sorts of interests). Just ask any political refugee (eg. anarchist/queer people) from ex-USSR and they will tell you that Putin is rebuilding the Russian Empire and will provide you with ample evidence of both hard and soft power applied throughout ex-Empire/ex-USSR colonies. A key difference with historical russian empires though, is that Putin is delegating a lot of power to local rulers (eg. Kadyrov/Lukashenko) so that on paper their regions appear to be politically independent: it’s not formally an Empire. It’s a trick he learnt from western powers (USA in south america, France in Africa, etc).