Now that Vlad Putin’s military has invaded Ukraine, several truths have been confirmed…again. First, nuclear powers are not invaded. Secondly, a nation with a weak military invites aggression from nefarious neighbors.
Then, always beware of world leaders who are bent on empire-building (or restoring an empire). Once KGB, always KGB. And last but not least, Ukraine has shown us the importance of the Second Amendment. They handed out rifles to their civilian population, but ran out of weapons (let’s hope they don’t run out of ammo). A well armed and trained civilian population is still essential to national security.
Russia’s neighbors are definitely taking notice. The Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) were their own independent states from 1919/1920 to 1940. But in 1940 they were invaded and taken over by Stalin’s Soviet Union. Tens of thousands of innocent people were sent away to the gulags to perish. The Baltic States achieved independence again when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
In 1939 the Soviet Union (modern day Russia) invaded their neighbor Finland. The brave Finns put up a whale of a fight but were eventually overwhelmed by superior Russian forces. Finland was forced to give up part of their territory after WW2…and they have not crossed the Russians since.
Poland was invaded by the National Socialists of Germany AND by the Marxist Socialists of the Soviet Union in 1939. When the Russians emerged victorious in 1945, they set up a puppet government in Poland until the fall of communism in eastern Europe in 1989.
The tiny nation of Georgia dared to disagree with Russia in 2008, and was invaded by the Russian army. They’ve been warning the world about Russia since then.
Today, Russia’s dictator Vlad Putin has served his neighbors, Poland, Finland, Sweden, and the Baltic States a firm warning. They are not to cross Russia or do anything the Kremlin thinks is aggressive. If they do, they will face “asymmetrical warfare.”
This kind of warfare incorporates cyber-warfare, economic warfare, political assassinations, and military invasion.
Putin is completely unafraid of militarily weak nations, whether they belong to NATO (like Lithuania or Romania), or not (like Finland or Sweden).
Weakness invites aggression and invasion.