RE:RE:RE:RE:Dark Oil So you think venezula is comparable to russia?? Russia know how to make rocket, space station, first human in space, have satellites in space, 20+ nobel prize winners, played large part taking germany in WW2, have hypersonic missiles, ICBM nukes, drilled the deepest well (12.2 km) in the world, etc Surely they know how to drill some new wells and maintain existing oil/gas wells. The BP, exxon and shell pull out only involved new mega oil/gas projects (mostly offshore). Since russia likely won't be selling more oil/gas, pull out of western oil companies are not a big loss to russia except to shell, bp, exxon themselves. If putin miscalculated, why won't he pull out ASAP? If putin can't have ukraine (or at least eastern ukraine), he will wreck ukraine so the west and NATO don't want ukraine afterward either. This is predicted by many international affair scholars AND Zelensky and his top advisor years ago. It is going according to plan of both sides. Yes, russia was already declining before the war, hence putin has nothing to lose. Why putin let russia go down without using his surplus nukes?
Clemxb7 wrote: You only have to look at Venezuela to see what happens when the US pulls out expertise and blocks spare parts. I don't recall China being considered a powerhouse in Hydrocarbon extraction. Oil is America's wheelhouse. The Russian fields have been relying on American companies and parts to keep optimal flow.
Putin is in big trouble especially if he cant claim big victory in Ukraine.
Who, besides Trump, is gonna admire Putin now he's getting his butt kicked?
Depleted Armed forces, less oil flow and revenues, sinking standard of living for what?
Even if Russia gains some Ukrainian territory Putin miscalculated badly. Those around him must be questioning what did this moron get us into?