You read all the time that Putin feels "humiliated" by the breakup of the Soviet Union, right? Why would he feel that way? Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, broke it all up. We didn't defeat them in war. I don't believe that Putin feels that NATO is a physical threat to Russia. He's jealous that so many countries wanted to continue to hang out together and others, including former Warsaw Pact countries (!) join after NATO's raison d'etre ended.
I believe, to a standard of "satisfy the conscience," that Putin feels humiliated by the Soviet breakup, by this whole 55-day war, by days like today, because it confirms in his mind that Russians "just aren't good enough."
Remember, post-Soviet Russian leaders told our folks, "We want to be like you."! Putin sounded out Bill Clinton about NATO membership for Russia. No, you're not good enough. Russian and Soviet leaders wanted the American standard of living. Khrushchev debated Nixon in a model American kitchen in the '50's. Reagan repeated jokes all the time that the Russian people told each other about the Russian economy. They all knew; the Soviet and Russian leaders knew; Gorbachev knew; Putin knows. They have never had our standard of living. So Gorby decided if you can't beat 'em join 'em! But they couldn't do it. "We may not understand puts and calls but we understand throw weight!" They weren't supple enough and creative enough to adapt to and thrive in a global market economy. They're not smart enough, that is what Putin and Lavrov think we think of them (and we do). Nobody wants to be like Russia, nobody has ever wanted to be like Russia.
Russians
wanted to be like us in holding the legitimacy that free democratic
elections gives. But they couldn't do it, they had like two free
elections. That's why Hillary drove Putin mad when she questioned the
legitimacy of Putin's election. (It drove Putin mad because he knew it
was true.). After that Russians went back to what they know, throw
weight and throwing their weight around.
Putin measures himself and the Russian people against American presidents and the American people. He hated Obama. A Black man was a rock star! Taller and better-looking and younger and cooler and smarter--better in every way than he was! Obama said I acted like a child! (He did.) Obama said Russia was a regional power! (They are.(Second only to Ukraine in their region.π)) Obama said “They don’t make anything we want.” (They don’t). Somebody said Russia is just a gas station with nukes. (They are.) Putin hated Medvedev for his relative youth and good lucks and chumminess with "Barack" and pushed him out of the tandemocracy. Nobody worth anything has ever wanted to be like Putin.
He hates Trump. He's smarter than Trump. It tickles him that he helped get Trump elected but is galled that he got caught. Now he's forever twinned with a buffoon! He was gleeful that he proved that the American people were just as big fools as the Russian people are. He has only contempt for the American people now, "They fell for a Russian!", and hates the Russian people for his contempt for Americans that we're so much like them. It was a negative accomplishment. He didn't prove that the Russian people were good at something. Even when I win I lose, that's how Putin sees it. What did being friendly with and supportive of W ever get me? he complained--for 45 minutes non-stop--to Obama. I still lost. That's how Putin sees the world.
Putin hates Ukraine. They didn't want to be like Russia! They, who were once part of the Soviet Union, now want to be part of Europe! He needed a positive accomplishment. He thought he knew throw rate, until Ukraine. He thought the Russian army was good enough. Until Ukraine.
Maybe their nukes actually work (I wouldn't want to chance it) but I wouldn't be totally shocked if they launched one and it flew backward and hit the Kremlin. They're just not good enough.
