Half measure campaign gets you half measure results.
"Please don't strike Russia proper or we might actually do what any competent invading force should do and that is to strike at the leadership and command and control of the enemy force"....
This is 2022 Russia. The heirs of greats... not so great anymore.
It indeed was the end of history when the Soviet Union fell, seemingly, with all that was left of functional brain power in Russia
.The Roman empire never recovered, neither did the Spanish, the British replaced by the Americans etc... it's almost destined.
For an existential fight there sure are a lot of if and buts.....the we mean it but not really. Meanwhile the other side clearly means it and you can tell by deeds and words and much more.
Since London appears to be off-limits, and Cyprus is also clamping down.... it appears Israel is the new favorite destination of Russians.
It's unfortunate and sad but at the same time sort of funny to see an ethnic group struggle and fumble so much with their professed enemies. I guess from a psychological point of view since this fight was more or less imposed on Russia you could rationalize something of inconsequence. Take enough cracks at it slowly, but continuously and eventually it will crack... the anglo's have been working Russia well for quite a century + now. They've achieved much more progress than in previous centuries combined.
What's clear is that Russia has a long way to go before they bury and put the anglo's to rest, much less create an alternative world order that ensures Russia's survival and prosperity.
What is also clear is that people will never get tired of damage controlling, and creating false narratives to suit their bubble. Cognitive dissonance is a bitch for sure - everyone fights it.
Everything is going according to plan. So much so Dear Leader just admitted that what was agreed to in Istanbul was broken apart by Kiev as soon as the words vanished from thin air. There is a definition for any man that takes pride in espousing often how he's cheated and toyed with by his enemies - a masochist with stockholm syndrome. "We had a deal, next thing you know, the next day, Yanukovich is out of power" "Not an inch East".... "we had a deal in Istanbul but now everything is deadlocked"....
Never send a Russian to do a deal, you'll regret it for eternity. Anybody else, anyone, but not a Russian. Outsource deal making.
With that said, Russians obviously have to believe that all of this is BS, for if it were true, the pessimism would be so big, depression will set it. So the brain will do what it does... turn on that defense mechanism to protect itself.