LOL, this reminds me of my coworkers. Guy in his 50s, kids already grown up, very quiet, barely know anything about him. One time we had an event and wanted to carpool. We get all in, he turns the ignition and RAAAAAAAAHHHHH! Kind of surprised me and I learned to not assume too much.
Russia doesn’t need Ukraine on its own, they need Ukraine to get access Poland, Romania and Moldova.
They already switched into war time production, and if they manage to get Ukraine they only need a year or two to replenish all military equipment.
People really underestimate Russia and that’s the worst thing you can do to get caught pants down. If Russia senses there’s a chance to succeed they will move on.
Another thing the West seems to be ignoring is that they think the war is just what is happening in Ukraine, when the majority of their operation is disinformation, subversion, and destabilization.
The popularity of far right politicians (who for some reason are friendly toward Kremlin) or BRExit shows how effective it is.