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I had a very interesting conversation about russia and ukraine today, and one future threat to russia was brought up, that I have not heard anything about in any mainstream media.
What russia now is starting to fear is the return of 100s of thousands of soldiers, who have not become barbarians, without any barriers to killing. They are well armed, and they are used to salaries that are 5-10x what they usually get at home.
They have traumas, are violent, and have no marketable skills.
Russia is now fearing an explosion of violence, new maffia gangs, shootings, etc. at home when these people return home from the wat with their traumas.
If they organize, it could get very, very tricky for Putin to contain them.
My bet is that Putin will give away Donbass to the general in charge on the condition that the general will keep the barbarians within that new "democratic peoples republic" in the hope that they will not march on moscow.