Ideas range from joint offensive cyber operations against Russia, and faster and more coordinated attribution of hybrid attacks by quickly pointing the finger at Moscow, to surprise NATO-led military exercises, according to two senior European government officials and three EU diplomats

“The Russians are constantly testing the limits — what is the response, how far can we go?” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže noted in an interview. A more “proactive response is needed,” she told POLITICO. “And it’s not talking that sends a signal — it’s doing.”

Finally.

    • Tedesche@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Seriously. If all of Western Europe ganged up on Russia, it would fold instantaneously. Bullies isolate their victims. Don’t let them do that and they show their true colors.

      • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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        3 days ago

        It also still has nukes

        They’re likely defunct as they require insane amounts of money for maintenance and upkeep and Russians have skimped money on all parts of the military, and where to skimp easier than on weapons that will never be used, unless it is to end the world?

        Even so… Wanna risk that?

        • Tedesche@lemmy.world
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          Does Russia? Even Putin knows that if he presses the big red button, it’s open season on him—not just a potential nuclear response from the outside but a nice, quiet defenestration from within. I think Russia will stick to conventional warfare as long as possible.

      • favoredponcho@lemmy.zip
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        4 days ago

        Europe should occupy Moscow for at least 50-100 years until it has reformed Russia and excised the mafia state. These things die hard though, so it requires a few generations of occupation.

        • Bigfishbest@lemmy.world
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          Historically occupations tend to be troublesome affairs. The west spent 20 years in Afghanistan and got nowhere. I agree that the mafia state must be dealt with, but going by the west’s ability to run an occupation that doesn’t turn the inhabitants against them, is practically nil.

          • favoredponcho@lemmy.zip
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            It might go better if the Russians see more bombs falling on their own soil for a few years before the occupation begins. Afterwards, we are looking for something like the way Western Germany was rehabilitated after WWII.

            • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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              Did y’all not learn anything from the War on Terror? This shit does not work. Western Germany wasn’t “rehabilitated” by the Allied occupation, but by decades of action post-occupation. The Allied occupation was perfectly content to coopt Nazis into its anti-Soviet bloc.

      • jaxxed@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Keep in mind that RU beets all of Europe in military production righflt now.

        • Tedesche@lemmy.world
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          LOL, Putin’s war in Ukraine has demonstrated quite clearly the value of the Russian military. There’s a reason he’s terrified of NATO. Ukraine has held off Russia’s “superior” might with civilian-grade drones. Any actual military response from NATO would crush Russia like a brick through wet tissue paper.

          • jaxxed@lemmy.world
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            Russian military doctrine is not based on quality.

            The problem for Western Europe now is that they are invested in small expeditionary styled formations and high-cost components. Eastern and Northern Europe (and Nords) are the only nations planning for defensive actions, and the only ones with enough Democratic cohesion to operate.

            Russia would engage in hybrid depletionary tactics follwed by grinding efforts of force, like the Ukraine situation. Europe can only win in against this strategy if they are willing to operationally decapitate (Iraq war style), but are politically set up for defensive lines at most. Trying to decapitate Russia will most likelyy lead to WW3, so it is a non-starter.

            Ironically, the Balts might actually survive the next decade, due to their strategic value for the Nords and Poland.

            If Europe really wanted to participate in their own security, they would he dumping weapons and money into Ukraine.

            • Tedesche@lemmy.world
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              Russia has already ground through much of its resources in Ukraine and it’s not making meaningful advances. It doesn’t have the resources to attack other nations on top of that.

              And European countries could easily cripple the Russian war machine with precision strikes, hit major resource production centers, infrastructure, etc.

              But more to the point, once it’s Russia vs. Europe, Russian support for Putin’s war (because it is his war) will evaporate near-instantly, and he will be killed. Europe doesn’t have to decapitate Russia; the Russians will do that.

  • bearboiblake@pawb.social
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    Wars are a tool to thin out the fighting age population among the working class, so they can tighten their oppressive grip on those of us left behind who aren’t strong enough to fight. And those who survive are a danger to society after returning home with nowhere near enough support and having been subject to brainwashing under extreme conditions.

    Wars are an enemy of the working class. They are a tool of our oppressors.

      • bearboiblake@pawb.social
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        You think having a military offers any form of protection against aggressive militarism?

        If anything, it makes wars and invasions more appealing - if the infrastructure of control and oppression, the police, the military, the courts, etc. are all there, all they need to do is seize those levers of power.

        If that infrastructure does not exist and a population is hostile to your attempts to impose it, you would effectively stand no chance against a determined resistance. There are no major military targets, no leaders to assassinate, no positions of power to leverage. They would need to keep boots on the ground to maintain power. And those soldiers, while constantly stationed in hostile territory, can’t do anything else and would constantly find themselves under attack by decentralized militia forces - there would be very little hope for holding such territory, and as soon as the occupying force left, anarchy, and therefore peace and order, could once again be restored.

        • falseWhite@lemmy.worldOP
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          Such a naive opinion you have. And I say opinion, because I challenge you to find any proof in history where the weak successfully fought off the bullies?

          You think having a military offers any form of protection against aggressive militarism?

          Tell me how many times a nuclear power has been in invaded in the past 80 years and then tell me how many small countries with weak military have been invaded in the past 80 years.

          Your argument is not based in reality.

          You cannot let bullies be stronger than you.

          But if you want proof of the opposite, history is FULL of it.

          Maybe start with the Baltics and the two Russian occupations they suffered through in the past 100 years or so. Or maybe WW2, or if you want more recent examples, tell me how well Ukraine is doing? Or how well Palestinians fought off Israel?

          Honestly your opinion is ridiculous.

          if the infrastructure of control and oppression, the police, the military, the courts, etc. are all there, all they need to do is seize those levers of power.

          If that infrastructure does not exist and a population is hostile to your attempts to impose it, you would effectively stand no chance against a determined resistance.

          So you are essentially saying countries should have NO military, NO police, NO courts, NO leaders, etc. in order to not be invaded.

          Again, ridiculous.

          And those soldiers, while constantly stationed in hostile territory, can’t do anything else and would constantly find themselves under attack by decentralized militia forces

          So still a war, people still fighting and dying 🤦‍♂️

          I’d say deterrence and prevention is much better.

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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      When Trump finally has his war with someone (probably Venezuela), he will call for a draft, and there will be provisions that allow wealthy people to avoid it, probably by paying a hefty fee.

  • Quilotoa@lemmy.ca
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    One of the classic blunders: Never get involved in a land war in Asia.

    • favoredponcho@lemmy.zip
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      Russia needs to be occupied for at least 100 years so that the country and population can be developed and taught how to operate properly and not like a mafia state.

      • Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        I think that if you look around (just look at things like ChatControl, ICE in the US and the support for the Genocidal White Colonialist state of Israel in most of the West) we in the “developed” West are fast moving backwards and becoming more like Russia - more surveillance, more authoritarianist use of force, more corruption, more racism, more imperialism, a more oligarchic economic system, more concentration of power, more inequality.

        Even in a perfect World were common Russians accepted it with open arms, I’m not so sure an occupation of Russia by Western nations would ultimatelly end in them “developing” towards Western Standards rather than in Western nations finishing regressing towards Russian Standards.

          • BrowseMan@sh.itjust.works
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            Because of the USSR playing its role as boogyman.

            On top of that the at the time Germany and current Russia are totally different: its geography, its people, its government, its economical status.

            Occupation is generally a bad idea, but occupying RUSSIA… Very, very, very bad idea. You’d just confirm the lies the Kremlin tell its population and unite the country against the EU.

            Edit: typo

            • favoredponcho@lemmy.zip
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              The world is full of irony. A decade ago, no one would’ve discussed this seriously and no one in the West would’ve thought occupying Russia was desirable or necessary. Russia, however, probably sold this idea to its population in order to justify the Ukraine war and additional aggressions against Europe. In turn, by invading Ukraine, Russia has created a reality where it really is necessary for someone to put them in check. Europe needs to wake up to threats against its own safety and if they don’t, they’ll end up like Ukraine. Retaliating against Russia is necessary and once they do, the fighting won’t stop until Putin is toppled and Russia submits full stop. From there it is a question of what happens to Russia. It’s clear letting things play out post-USSR collapse didn’t work. Russia is a mafia state. The West will have to take an active hand. Hopefully, the US can rid itself of its weak Russian puppet and join Europe in working for their own joint interests.

            • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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              You’d just confirm the lies the Kremlin tell its population and unite the country against the EU.

              Well, sure, if you allow them to retain control of their propaganda network, and you obviously aren’t going to do that.

              The occupying force will be controlling the messaging, and if they truly are acting in a constructive manner, and truly purging the government of criminal influences and national security threats, and transparently informing the citizens of their progress in taking back the country on behalf of the citizens, then they should have a chance at possibly gaining the trust of the citizens.

              The problem is that it never goes like that. Occupiers tend to be assholes.

        • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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          And China, and possibly India. I’m so tired of the world powers being run by a bunch of dickheads.

    • Gary Ghost@lemmy.world
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      How many Russians actually want war with Ukraine? Wouldn’t bombing Moscow punish the wrong people? Bomb the kremlin

      • ctrl_alt_esc@lemmy.ml
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        Unfortunately, most of them do. Obviously, still no reason to level the city, but you should not fall for that romantic thought of an oppressed populace that is secretely against the war.

  • chunes@lemmy.world
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    europeans doing what they do best, starting world wars.

    Don’t expect any help from the rest of the world this time.

    • favoredponcho@lemmy.zip
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      Fun fact: The Munich agreement was an event leading to ww2.

      Lesson: Being weak doesn’t avert world war.

    • falseWhite@lemmy.worldOP
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      And it all started in 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine to annex Crimea and then both, the USA and the UK decided to allow that despite the assurances made in the Budapest Memorandum.

      But guess what, American history books don’t teach real history.

  • notsure@fedia.io
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    …hey, gonna have some “nightblinds”, perhaps send a choccy cart after them…history may rhyme, but second verse, same as the first…