While I'm glad for Russia's strategy so long as it works out well for them and the global south (which by all means it seems to be doing), I do feel that Russia's prudence has been- naturally- mistaken for weakness by the west.

Frankly, I don't think the hegemonic, "end of history," totalitarian and wholly unhinged neocon mindset rampant in the upper echelons of the west can understand any language other than force at this point (and even then, that might just as well lead to disaster). We're dealing with the nuclear-armed, thoroughly malicious human equivalent of rabid dogs here- and (while I'd hope to question whether the rank and file would allow it to get that far) if they think they can and must burn the world down rather than lose their empire- if they think they'll get away with it, even if their own citizenry and countries burn in the process- I genuinely expect they'd try, and that this seems to be what they're increasingly working towards, one last ditch explosive attempt (or multiple) to hold the world hostage with their terrorism.

I think there will come a time- if we're not there already- where Russia (and China, Iran, etc) will have to question if playing it cool, and avoiding escalation on their part, is actually serving their interests of reducing escalation overall- or if it is just emboldening the west to push further and further than it ever would have if it had been properly cowed in the first place. Of course, that's also supposing that the western system and institutions has the capability even, within itself, to be properly cowed anymore (and if not, how to disarm and neuter the beast of empire before they can bring the world down with them), after 500 years of terrorism and the last few decades of outright unquestioned hegemony with all the arrogance and rot going into overdrive.

I'm sure these questions are already being asked already, by far smarter and more informed people than myself, in all these countries and across the leadership of the global south. I just hope that there's a solution to all this.