Ras Putin is drawing on his own nations history as a cautionary measure. If his plan backfires and he starts a major war, and the NATO alliance gets any ideas about chasing his armies back to Russia, he can do the same to NATO as they have done in the past to Hitler, Napoleon, and Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. Just retreat into a Russian winter and burn everything in thier path and draw out the invaders supply lines. Then revert to guerilla warfare. Might sound crazy in the age of aircraft re supply and air drops, but he has surface to air missile installations to rely on I’m sure. Just speculating here.