[tpm]

How would that be political suicide? It's an dictatorship, there is no working opposition, no antiwar movement, anyone can be shut down very quickly.

It's only economical suicide if the West makes it so, which it most probably would not - and then there is the question if that would be enough. What if China is able to provide whatever the West would not. Moreover, Russia has close to no debt and high currency reseerves. It is true that it mostly sells oil, gas and minerals, but there are enough buyers for that.

In short, maybe their calclulus is very different to ours.

[luc4]

> How would that be political suicide?

I'm mostly thinking international politics and -projects like Nord Stream 2. But even internally, there are already anti-establishment movements in Russia. Unpopular military intervention might be grist to the mill for them. I don't think Putin wants to risk a situation like in Belarus a few months ago. It's easier to govern if the people don't openly disapprove of you, even in a dictatorship.

> It's only economical suicide if the West makes it so, which it most probably would not

I remember plans about excluding Russia from SWIFT. I don't know if that is still on the table.