I can’t gather a coherent theory in my mind, but something would appear to be completely fucked on their grifting game. Maybe they needed a multi year build up of dark money to pull off COVID and the 2020 rig? But they appear short on cash these days. Russia in Ukraine kills two birds with one stone. It cuts off the cash influx from corrupt and illegal black market businesses, and it really screws up their laundering scheme with taxpayer dollars that get sent back to them.
So with that in mind, this conflict to me is about trying to preserve whatever grift is left and also in case that can’t happen, squeezing as much grift out of the place until it can’t be done anymore.
I can’t gather a coherent theory in my mind, but something would appear to be completely fucked on their grifting game. Maybe they needed a multi year build up of dark money to pull off COVID and the 2020 rig? But they appear short on cash these days. Russia in Ukraine kills two birds with one stone. It cuts off the cash influx from corrupt and illegal black market businesses, and it really screws up their laundering scheme with taxpayer dollars that get sent back to them.
So with that in mind, this conflict to me is about trying to preserve whatever grift is left and also in case that can’t happen, squeezing as much grift out of the place until it can’t be done anymore.