Russian Military Tactics
Why did Central and Eastern European nations join NATO after the Soviet collapse?
Following the Soviet collapse, Central and Eastern European states joined NATO primarily out of fear that Russia might use the approximately 800,000 ethnic Russians left in their countries as a pretext for future invasion and conquest. These nations didn't wait for NATO to move eastward - rather, they actively sought western protection against potential Russian aggression. NATO demonstrated restraint by not establishing permanent foreign military bases in these nations until after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and seizure of Crimea in 2014. The concerns of these nations were ultimately validated by Russia's subsequent military actions in Georgia in 2008, intervention in Syria, and the invasions of Ukraine since 2014 that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties.
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RealLifeLore
32:07 - 32:54
What happened when Russia invaded Chechnya during the Chechen War?
Russia initially expected a swift victory in Chechnya but encountered fierce resistance, resulting in a brutal quagmire. Frustrated by heavy casualties, Russian forces shifted tactics to overwhelming artillery fire and airstrikes, systematically destroying cities and villages with little regard for civilian life. This devastating approach killed an estimated 27,000 civilians in Grozny within just five weeks—about 6% of the capital's pre-war population. The military also established filtration camps where approximately 200,000 Chechens were detained throughout the conflict, and incidents like the Semashki massacre, where soldiers killed up to 300 civilians, drew international condemnation. By summer 1996, Chechnya was absolutely devastated.
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RealLifeLore
23:21 - 24:41