Everyone was pooping themselves around Russian Independence Day or whatever that was, but Big Bad Vlad wasn't allowed to do anything serious then.
If he orders a retreat, it cranks the pressure up on him, not support for nukes.
From one point they needs $ for their oligarchs.....
$ is god. Money. Diamonds. Luxurous things. Shares in businesses....villas.
Ofc they are nationalists etc and still.
Form another point they need support from serious neo imperialists - nationalists dreaming about " Empire that should be ." Dugin's and Co world's idea...With map in red from Portugal till Greenland and till Vladivostok...
It is far more than Warshav block together with USSR had....
And such ppl are in parliament ( a lot ) and voters %....
Plus they does have brainwashed with such stuff population %.
Next thing is USSR era nostalgists....
Dreaming about 1987 situation again....
Too enough high % of electorate...
Then more modern brainwashing products....
Like Russia might be attacked etc etc etc.
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IMHO therefore kleptocrats had decided to annex almost useless for Russia Crimea.
While they still had naval base in Sevastopol and 0 problems.
To statisfy nationalists and imperialists.
In order to get aporowal to waste $ and efforts to create fake scenes in dumbass and waste $ to support this.
Cos there...minining and energy industry, some valuable land etc..
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Nationalists get promise to solve Moldova problem and Gerorgia problem + deNazify all Ukraine ....to put EU and U.K and U.S & Commonwealth on knees....