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In reply to the discussion: Explosion at Nuclear Airbase Just 150 Miles From Moscow Opens Stunning New Phase of War [View all]Bucky
(54,041 posts)1st, I expect Ukrainians are too smart than to attack Russia on its own soil, especially if that far away from the war zone.
2nd, I seriously doubt Ukraine has the tactical capability to hit anything in the Moscow area. Dugan's daughter was almost certainly killed by one of the feuding Russian extremist factions, despite her own rightwing politics, not by any pro Ukrainian group.
3rd, you may not be aware of it, but you don't want the violence brought home to Russia. Anything that would reinforce and harden the Russian Nationalist factions is a bad thing. The best hope for a free Ukraine is for the growing Russian anger to be focused on Putin in his generals' ineptitude, not there Ukrainian victims we've already been thoroughly vilified in Russian media.
Like, imagine if in the middle of the US-Vietnam War, the Viet Cong were able to bomb the San Diego shipyards. That would have massively undermined the anti-war the sentiment that ultimately allowed Vietnam to win the conflict.
One of the ugly realities of this conflict is that, as much as we all want Russia to lose. It would be very much against international interests for Russia be so devastated in its loss that were to start falling apart as a nation state. Russia today is far more like Yugoslavia was in 1992 then it is like the Soviet Union in 1991. If Russia becomes perceived as a weakening state, the whole of northern and central Asia could degenerate into a dozen regional ethnic conflicts.
Just like George HW Bush was wise not to drive into Baghdad after Gulf War 1, it's very much in US and Western interests for Russia remain a cohesive entity that's threatening to its dominated neighbors. As bad and vindictive as the Russians are, any other regional power asserting control over that area--whether Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, India, or China would probably be worse and could potentially trigger a 21st century Great Game struggle for dominance, only with loose nukes mixed into the prizes being sought.