When the germans opened up the IGB to free travel, I rented a local plated car and took a drive across to the east for a couple of days. Almost everything Russian I saw was FUBAR and it had me wondering about all of our own intelligence briefs regarding the "might of the Soviet Armed Forces"
Now I find myself travelling often around Russia, and what I see, parked on the military side of airports or docked in port is also FUBAR. The boats are listing, the subs are leaking and Bears look to be in totally ****e order (personally wouldn't relish a long range oceanic mission in one of them).
The multi billion dollar military re-build programme will go the same way as all the other state funded programmes have gone, in to the pockets of corrupt politicians, oligarchs and sundry middle men. It certainly won't improve capability in any significant way.
However, thats what worries me. Vladimir Vladimirovich and his cronies know that there will be no easy retirement from power. The immunity from prosecution given to Yeltsin and his cronies in return for a seat at the table for VV Putin, will not be so easily coming for him. His retirement option is jail or death, so he will be clinging on to power with everything he has rather than face any alternative (as happened in Ukraine). He would rather see death than jail, and if that means taking everyone else with him, then so be it.
Given those circumstances, what do you resort to if your conventional forces are not effective..... ??
I'll leave you all to fill in the obvious gap
