Imagine that Russia had annexed half of Alaska, was fighting the US for control of the other half, and was talking about its historical connections to much of the US pacific coast down to Fort Ross, California: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ross,_California
If someone proposed to the US that all US citizens could get Russian and Spanish citizenship, would the US response be to ignore this; to laugh at this; or to be angry that this was suggested, followed by "oh god send guns, the Russians I can see them! Why won't you help us, you signed a treaty to guarantee our borders that's the only reason we agreed to give up our nukes!"
asdffdasy · 2d ago
would the usa be so fool as to surrender it's bombs like Ukraine did before the invasion?
ben_w · 2d ago
For the sake of making a fair comparison, just assume it did.
bradac56 · 2d ago
Sadly no. Russia already controls the important (rich) coastal lands and the single mineral mining area now. There is no reason for him to turn anything over without a complete invasion from the USA which is not in the country's interests.
The Ukraine lost several years ago and has no chance of winning at this point as the death toll on there side is not only larger but more devastating.
The thing you need to worry about is the next step, regaining Georgia's oil reserves.
toomuchtodo · 2d ago
Putin wants the land and the people (due to Russia’s catastrophic demographics situation). How does citizenship solve for this?
amichail · 2d ago
Some of the Ukrainians might move to Russia.
toomuchtodo · 2d ago
Not enough to matter. The war ends when Putin dies or runs out of soldiers to throw into the grinder.
> The numbers that Russia is now hiding tell a devastating story. In 2024, deaths outnumbered births by roughly 600,000—the steepest natural decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Rosstat (as reported by Bloomberg). Birth rates have plummeted to what may be a 200-year low. Meanwhile, military casualties and emigration have created a demographic hemorrhage that Moscow can no longer spin or minimize: estimates of casualties are upwards of 790,000, according to Russia Matters.
> The war has also triggered a massive outflow of human capital from Russia, some 800,000, most of whom are disproportionately young, educated, and urban—having fled to avoid conscription or to express dissent. Those Russian males who remain in Russia face mobilization. Moreover, immigration is not likely to offer relief from these population losses. This is despite Putin's January 2024 enticement, which loosened earlier decrees, of offering Russian citizenship to those who sign military contracts, and most recently his July 2025 decree opening up military service to stateless persons. These are not positive inducements, especially when reports indicate "volunteer" deaths now account for more than those of any other type of Russian soldier. This reflects a growing desperation for new recruits. Once data emerge about who is actually dying in the war, recruitment numbers are likely to decline even further.
> Russia’s fertility rate is one of President Vladimir Putin’s obsessions because he sees boosting the population as a way to help restore Russia’s greatness. Putin regularly talks about the sort of demographic trends he would like to see, and sets targets for officials, who inevitably try to solve the problem with financial incentives and new bans. To gain the president’s favor, officials seeking demographic results are even willing to damage the economy and the social order.
…
> In Putin’s mind, boosting the fertility rate is closely linked with his other obsession of regaining territory once controlled by the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire. Indeed, these two issues are the twin pillars of the whole Putin project, which sees itself as healing Russia’s historical trauma.
If someone proposed to the US that all US citizens could get Russian and Spanish citizenship, would the US response be to ignore this; to laugh at this; or to be angry that this was suggested, followed by "oh god send guns, the Russians I can see them! Why won't you help us, you signed a treaty to guarantee our borders that's the only reason we agreed to give up our nukes!"
The Ukraine lost several years ago and has no chance of winning at this point as the death toll on there side is not only larger but more devastating.
The thing you need to worry about is the next step, regaining Georgia's oil reserves.
> The numbers that Russia is now hiding tell a devastating story. In 2024, deaths outnumbered births by roughly 600,000—the steepest natural decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Rosstat (as reported by Bloomberg). Birth rates have plummeted to what may be a 200-year low. Meanwhile, military casualties and emigration have created a demographic hemorrhage that Moscow can no longer spin or minimize: estimates of casualties are upwards of 790,000, according to Russia Matters.
> The war has also triggered a massive outflow of human capital from Russia, some 800,000, most of whom are disproportionately young, educated, and urban—having fled to avoid conscription or to express dissent. Those Russian males who remain in Russia face mobilization. Moreover, immigration is not likely to offer relief from these population losses. This is despite Putin's January 2024 enticement, which loosened earlier decrees, of offering Russian citizenship to those who sign military contracts, and most recently his July 2025 decree opening up military service to stateless persons. These are not positive inducements, especially when reports indicate "volunteer" deaths now account for more than those of any other type of Russian soldier. This reflects a growing desperation for new recruits. Once data emerge about who is actually dying in the war, recruitment numbers are likely to decline even further.
https://www.russiamatters.org/analysis/russias-demographic-v...
> Russia’s fertility rate is one of President Vladimir Putin’s obsessions because he sees boosting the population as a way to help restore Russia’s greatness. Putin regularly talks about the sort of demographic trends he would like to see, and sets targets for officials, who inevitably try to solve the problem with financial incentives and new bans. To gain the president’s favor, officials seeking demographic results are even willing to damage the economy and the social order.
…
> In Putin’s mind, boosting the fertility rate is closely linked with his other obsession of regaining territory once controlled by the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire. Indeed, these two issues are the twin pillars of the whole Putin project, which sees itself as healing Russia’s historical trauma.
https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/0...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Russia
Between the "slava Ukraine" cheerleading, no one...not the EU, US or UN has a realistic plan for restoring Ukraine to it's 2020 borders