Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Its a simply a numbers game.

Russia's military is no match for the combined west if the situation escalates, and Putin knows that.

Also I've heard it discussed on the BBC there is a long chain of command from Putin to the guys that launch the nukes, they could refuse to act in anticipation of retaliation threat from the west.

Tungsten rods.

People should stop posting about nuclear attacks on Ireland and theorizing where and who would be worse affected.

Its scaremongering

Right but you mentioned a nuclear attack, that's the condition of the Chinese-Ukrainian pact, if Russia were to launch a nuclear attack on Ukraine, China would have to retaliate against Russia.

In terms of leverage, Russia won't be able to repair it's Boeing and Airbus planes soon, the world's major container shipping companies are refusing to do business with it, in fact most major global companies will stop doing business altogether with the entire country, it's largest bank stock has gone down 95%, the central bank has had hundreds of billions in assets abroad frozen, their currency has plunged 20% to 30%, Russian bonds and assets are toxic, I don't even want to think about their pension funds, it looks like the country is going to default on it's next bond payment, and this is just 7 days in.

They are going to become very, very reliant on BRICS countries like China, the second largest economy in the world, just to survive. If the Chinese allow them. And don't scalp the hell out of them in every deal.

Yes I watch the news and know whats happening in Ukraine right now.

My post was theorising what happens if things escalate and the west get more involved.

I would suggest we should call Putins bluff.

It's never just one man's finger on the button and there are a large number of corridors to navigate before even a decision is reached regarding the use of a nuclear option. So all the talk of nukes is just hot air.

The Russians know that there are several countries with nuclear options and they are all ranged at cities and other targets in Russia. If the Russian brass opt for a strike, they understand completely that that would, literally, mean the end of their own nation because it would be completely obliterated.

They're not going to do that over some mickey mouse conflict in the Ukraine.

No. I also dont think we would be a target.

Others who read the thread and such posts may be of a more nervous nature though.

Lot of Ukrainians are dying in this Micky mouse conflict you speak of

(If that is so) no can't really agree with you. I'm no expert so possibly am straying outside the lines commenting on this aspect, but that kind of action IMO is going over some boundaries I mentioned in another post, the West directly attacking or threatening to attack Russia/its forces etc. militarily to protect Ukraine should not happen here.

I disagreed with tomalak, but think he's right about that and I'm sure there is some "threshold" there with Russia where they may start to perceive that outside military assistance given to Ukraine is of such an extent/size that West is almost treating them as a defacto NATO member. The current assistance given of (I think - again no military expert) mostly lighter weapons that will help them defend themselves from the Russian invaders if they wish to do that, is I think very much the typical kind of thing that one side or another did in the Cold war with allies or proxies (e.g. assistance Russia or China I think gave to likes of North Vietnamese or Cubans etc.).

The economic/social/political cut off of Russia that is now escalating is also very typical of what little I know of relations of that period, although its obviously very sudden and will thus create a shock and severely damage Russia, and to a lesser extent the West because of connections & dependencies that have built up during peace/post collapse of Soviet Union. Russia/Putin has basically begun a new Cold War with the West by launching this invasion.

Exactly!

While nuclear strikes on the west would also be devastating, in places that are targeted, Russia will come off much much worse and get totally wiped out.

It will be nationalised tomorrow and the CEO's and board will be in a Gulag next week.

I dont think nuking Shannon is gonna achieve that goal