Yeah I’ve heard that, too, but the Daily Beast also reported a kind of wild story based on leaked Russian intercepts that suggest Russia was preparing to attack Japan prior to changing their mind toward attacking Ukraine. Apparently Japan and Russia have some lingering territorial issues going back to WWII. I think Putin just wanted a war to boost his waning popularity because that’s what he’s done several times before to boost himself politically in Chechnya, Georgia, and Crimea. The Russians’ standard of living is poorer than most of Europe, their GDP is about the size of much smaller Portugal, and there is no dynamism in their economy because they’re such a fossil fuel kleptocracy. So I think military adventurism is really the only trick Putin has to take Russians’ minds off how much he’s screwing them over.