Quote Originally Posted by Philipvs Vallindervs Calicvla View Post
...Germany didn't HAVE to go to war, it didn't benefit the country in the slightest. Germans just believed they had to go to war. I'm surprised you can make the comparison and not see that, increasingly, Russians believe they need to go to war. We must fight for Donbas, we must recover Russia's honour, fatherland this and that.

Putin and his ilk look at a map of the former USSR and see it overlaid in one colour, must like a Byzantine looked at a map and saw SQPR overlaid.
I think most Russians use Rodina, other than the Fatherland-all-Russia group (who admittedly DO support Putin). Aside from such quibbling, I think you have hit on an important point. Putin's regime does seem to be looking at maps with that SPQR background thought in mind and also seems to have the "our place in the sun" chip on their shoulder. The combination does not readily lend itself to peaceful conflict management.