Internet randos, executives. Next in line should be fellow programmers "Why the f should I tell you my reasons, if you are competent programmer you should allready know everything".

I assume your comment is accidentally on a wrong thread.

but if production and rental businesses get separated, we are back to square one.

A rental company buying tons of machines and which has to calculate disposal costs has a different negotiating power over a number of individuals buying.

Also a big rental company can put pressure on the OEM.

I wonder how much of this consistency is for the sake of feeling in control. (i.e. I hypothesise, that it is only about emotions of the boss)

Some proof would be nice.

Wikipedia mentions that it is contested if it is intentional or not.

Personaly for me, intentionality doesn't seem far fetched, given gulags, forced relocations to siberia without supplies and liberal presentation of history/facts (ussr guides said that kaliningrad is russian from olden times).

see also: Belarus (russia stopped quite pro russian, but democratic opposition)

problem is - its either nato or russian puppet (e.g. russia would force ukraine to invade moldova)

I think there's a third option -- that of independent Ukraine, unassociated with anyone (Swiss-style). The option of NATO -- as is clear from Russian actions -- isn't acceptable to Russia, but this third option may be.

(And I don't get into the argument of whether Russia should have a say in Ukraine's future — you and I may completely agree that it shouldn't, but Russia clearly thinks otherwise.)

germany is big AND wealthy buyer. Not eveybody can buy so much at current price.

also storage of natural gas is problematic.

> also storage of natural gas is problematic.

I think the GP's "buy it up" meant the pipeline, not gas.

But now, it is much closer to home.

Europe sees a lot of parallels with what happend right before ww2 (germany taking a bite here and there; testing responses; extending influence and gathering resources)

couple of months of sanctions. Not sure how many russians will want to endure. Of course putin will try to turn it into some patriotic narative, but truth will spread. Holding ukrain will not be simple. People there have tasted freedom. It will not be so easy to feed government news to them.