Nuclear weapons are very delicate and expensive to maintain, especially if you have thousands of them. After having seen the awful state of their tanks and army trucks, I'm less worried about their nuclear abilities.

me too. Said that, they definitely can reach Germany.

Their weapons can reach any country in the world, including the US. I don’t think anyone in any intelligence community would refute that.

That is a legitimate worry but there’s no counter to it other than reminding Putin that a nuclear attack would cause a massive automated, nuclear counter attack that would destroy him too.

There’s no defence against submarine based warheads; enough will get through.

It’s the reason that NATO isn’t going establish a no fly zone over Ukraine. They know it too.

At this point, what do you think that Putin has to loose?

The guy is 70 years old. An old, lonely, bitter man. His wife left him in 2013 and his kids are far away from him. All his Wealth is blocked, he will never be able to enjoy his life outside of his little empire. He has nothing to loose.

He could choose the bunker, but maybe he decides to bring the whole world with him. And if he decided already, nothing that we do, will make him happy. We are just deciding to die without even a fight.

The song that describes Putin right now:

"I am alone, this bitter man that I've become Hold my breath, laid to rest Drown in my tears, there's nothing left of me I am alone, the angry man upon his throne I can't pretend, the great descent Take my hand until the end You see me on the horizon I am the air you breathe I sold my soul to the seven seas Condemned and lost, pulled off course I will never leave, I'm always yours"

Any given day - Bitter Man

Can’t say I disagree with the sentiment.

I can’t see what he has to gain from this war. There’s no upside for him.

All I can think is that he’s got something like Parkinson's, knows he’s on the way out and just wants throw his weight around one last time.

Honestly though your guess is as good as mine.

There are various commentators who came to the conclusion he wants his legacy to be the restoration of the Russian empire. If that's truly the case, the move of attacking Ukraine while not caring about economic consequences makes sense. Or at least it made sense until the sanctions became so heavy.

if that is the case, he won't stop in the ukraine...