Russia Ukraine war, page-169782

@the trickster - anyone who studied Putin from the time power literally fell into his hands in the late 1990s, (literally a drunk Yeltsin being dragged off the throne of all the Rus and Putins simply sitting down in his stead) - and some of his speeches or 'manifestos', would have known, that this new guy in a suit, with a modicum of good manners, had never gotten over the loss of power of the Red Empire - and even early in his career, he made many allusions, speeches, in which he indicated that Russia should be ruling over what was formerly under Communist rule, only he avoided the word 'Communist' -
he was a new Czar in the making, only Europeans were so intent on finally enjoying 'the good life' - and freedom from fear of Communism, they didn't see what was brewing; they wanted to see him as 'the good guy' one could be friends with. How wrong they were.

Why he took the steps at just that time, is to me, simply a sign of an aging man, who - finally - decides to tackle destiny - (in his view, he wants to establish also his own Greatness as a kind of new Czar of all the Rus).
He is a power maniac, like so many of his predecessor were, like some of the Czars, certainly Lenin and Stalin - etc. (and similar men all over the world)
also: lets not forget that

Putin was at Dresden when the former East Germany was crumbling - - he was shocked, disaffected, disappointed.

He is now an old, or at least ailing, man, realising the dreams of his youth and taking Russia's young men into this dream of death and destruction with him.
History will judge him poorly.
Taurisk