They already are doing that - the Bucha atrocities were apparently in "retaliation" for Ukrainian army attacks that killed some Russian soldiers in the area. That did not deter the anti-Nazi partisans during WWII, it will not deter Ukrainian partisans killing Russian soldiers.
I don't understand why Nato is not intervening. Russia is fighting in Syria on demand of President Sadat. The Russians say their mission is to help the reigning government. Russia kills all people who are part of the opposition. Nato can with the same arguments do that in Ukraine. Zelinski is the president of Ukraine and he wants help to fight the intruder who illegal invaded Ukraine. Nato is not declaring war to Russia, they just want to kick them out. Identical to what Russia is doing in Syria.So Nato agrees with the slaughtering of 40 million innocent people. How far can Putin go before they will stop him? The argument of risk of a nuclear war means that Putin can continue forever, because the nuclear war will always be used as an argument. Basicly Nato says we will never intervene. Even not for humanitarian reasons. That's what Putin was dreaming of. He can kill and destroy without any limits. Nuclear war is bad for the Russians too. They will have the same problems as we will have. There will never be a nuclear war. Putin wants to kill all Ukrainians as a punishment. That's over 40 million people. I think that is more than the numbers of people killed in WW II.
A direct military conflict between NATO and Russia would mean an escalation and a risk of further escalation. That's the theory behind the decision.
But in Russia it works perfectly for many years already. Even the mother of my wife is a Putin fan and she broke all contact with her daughter, but even with her own brother who lives in Ukraine. We are nazi's for them. Organizing genocides against Russians living in Ukraine.
Putin is bluffing, like he always does. He was going to cut gas and oil supplies to Europe, if we would interfere in Ukraine, but he never did. germany is delivering directly weapons to Ukraine, but Putin did not punish them. Putin says oil and gas should be paid in Ruble starting april,1 or no deliveries anymore. Oil and gas are still flowing like before to the West. So bluff again. Putin suggested he would take Kiev in a few days. Again bluff. Putin said he had one of the strongest armies in the world and could destroy Europe if he would. Reality is that even a much smaller army with much less weapons resists already almost 2 months. The Russian army is a joke. So Putin tells all the time what theoretically would happen, but practically nothing of all this happened. Putin cannot start a nuclear war on his own. he needs other military people to start that action (authorisation and execution of the mlaunching). I think at that point several of these people, needed to start the nuclear war, will think twice as they and their family will die in just a few days. Not everybody is as lunatic as Putin. So the weakest chain in the execution of all orders can stop Putin. Putin is gambling on the fear of the West for a nuclear war. And he uses that fear at his advantage. Just like all previous threaths. And these previous threaths confirm that most of it was bluff. Barking but not biting.
Uh oh, @Tsing Tao its another guy with a Russian wife that says maybe the people in Russia are not as “woke” as you say.
I never said Russian people were "woke". When you claimed "Russians believe that life is cheap" what I said is response was "Russian soldiers, yes. All Russians don't believe that life is cheap." As virtusa if his wife believes life is cheap.
I'm glad you're willing to call the bluff with the risk of Armageddon. I'm not. Fortunately, neither is NATO.
Here we go with the heavier stuff. Biden releasing $800 million in additional arms. Interested if we talking about Howitzers here. I was reading up on them and they are half a million each…
But Russia is willing to take the risk because they are sure there will be no nuclear war. They bluff and know the West is afraid. Fear is always a bad advisor. They know they can bluff and that their strategy will be successful. You just confirmed it. And if their bluff does not work, like in the many examples I mentioned, it does not harm them as well. If closing gas and oil would be beneficial for Russia, it would have been done already a long time . The fact that it did still not happen, proves that it is again bluff. Putin is now threatening Finland and Sweden again. Always the same strategy. Threatening and terrorizing, even against his own people. Soon the border between Russia and NATO will be 1300 km longer (that's +50%). So more troops and more problems for Putin while he has his two hands already full with just a small Ukrainian army.