"Ukraine is only a stepping stone?" the interviewer then asked.

"Yes, absolutely. It is only the beginning," Mordvichev responded, who went on to say that the war "will not stop here. "https://www.newsweek.com/russian-general-admits-ukraine-just-stepping-stone-invade-europe-1825776

Russian General Admits Ukraine Just a 'Stepping Stone' to Invade Europe

Ukraine "is only the beginning," Colonel-General Andrey Mordvichev warned in a recent interview.

Newsweek
@Andy_Scollick yes, it will stop there, because they have resources to do anything else than hold on eastern Ukraine for maybe 5 years. Fact that putin keeps promoting people still saying "yes" bodes well for Ukraine. He is never gonna put someone capable in charge.
@peteriskrisjanis Russian Ministry of Defence together with other ministries (Industry and Trade etc) and the General Staff already have a programme for the rearmament of Russia and reorganisation of military-industrial production. It's a 10-year plan with financial accelerants to bring that down to 8 years. That's a current allied milplan assessment. They are coming back bigger and more aggressive. Russia must be defeated (in Ukraine and thru' blockade) and contained.
@Andy_Scollick I can't seriously take any russian claims with face value. They suddenly won't become more effective, not corrupt, much better motivated.
Should they have to be kept in check, should we have to be ready for WW3 or any critical situations? Sure. But taking such claims as serious talking point feels vain. Ukraine needs support without such "backing".
@Andy_Scollick my problem essential with such "opinions" and how they presented in press in general is that they are building this "existential clash of doom" narrative. I have bad news for everyone waiting for civilization to end - it won't. We can be nuked, boiled, but we still be here and we will have to figure out all this. All it does it just increases artificial media engagement at the cost of mental sanity of people.
@peteriskrisjanis With respect, I think you are mixing up "humanity" with "civilisation". Statisically, humanity will fare better from a full-scale nuclear war (estimated 3 billion survivors) than 'hothouse' (4-6+C) climate change (estimated 300-500 million survivors). Civilisational thresholds (tipping points) are poorly understood; this is an unprecedented global-scale 'experiment'. Civilisation likely to collapse (implode) in patchy phases BEFORE phys-chem-bio climate thresholds are crossed.
@Andy_Scollick I will agree on that it is about definition what "civilization" means. Said that, I do not expect humans to give up social links so easily. Even dark middle ages did not see full breakdown of trade contacts. People still traveled. A lot.
As for climate change I fully agree, it looks much much worse than full nuclear war (which is not even possible in theory). I can agree on that.
An on all this background this posturing and kremlin's "success" so far feels pointless.

@peteriskrisjanis @Andy_Scollick
I’m near convinced it’s all for the churches sake-on both sides. War is a racket. Doesn’t he have a military church? Is it aligned with George Bush’s “crusade?” (Sarcasm)

Confederate chuds in the US share the same ideology.

“The idea of God implies the abdication of human reason and justice; it is the most decisive negation of human liberty and necessarily ends in the enslavement of mankind both in theory and practice.” -Mikhail Bakunin

@peteriskrisjanis The only thing about the Middle Ages (and every other age) is that today we have societies and economies that have become vulnerable through civilisational dependencies on ICT, social media, internet, global fibre-optic and satellite aided financial transactions etc. Imagine there's no internet, cell phones. Or even raw materials trade. We would likely de-evolve to a Medieval civilisation: another 'Dark Ages'. Nature might be a lot better off for it!
@Andy_Scollick there I feel it is a bit hyperbolised dramatism in this. Yes, some trade will cease. I do not think internet will go away, it will specialize, will stay with radio waves, communication will be less scaled, but still there.
Everything will fall back to communities? Which I think is already happening.
Things gonna change.. World will be different. How different - it still depends on us.