[throwaway93626]

I’m reading reports that the Russian military is far weaker and less resourced than many believed, due in part to corruption. It sounds like the Russians may not be able to take Ukraine without major escalation. If Putin’s assault is fended off, it demonstrates to the world that Russia is far weaker than we were led to believe. Still, they have ICBMs, and I fear that Putin would be unable to bear this hit to his ego and the image of his “empire”.

[kilroy123]

I've wondered about this for a while now. How strong is the Russian and Chinese militaries in _actual_ warfare?

The thing about the US military is that we've actively been engaged in warfare continuously for a long time. We're battle tested.

Their militaries aren't.

Still, I think it's important to never underestimate the "enemy".

[beefield]

> Their militaries aren't.

You might want to do some research on Russia's actions in Syria lately.

[quantified]

That would reduce his standing to a Kim Jong Un level. He would not be able to un-ring that bell. And the first country to launch nukes loses. They might even win that war, but in the international stage what they end up with won’t look like peace.