"Super powers only aligned with the sides after it erupted."
"...despite Russian propaganda efforts to paint it otherwise."
You seem to know a lot about geopolitics, strategy, and psychological warfare! Why would a player limit itself to only align with someone after the eruption of a given conflict? Why would it refrain from causing an opportunistic conflict in the first place? And why a superpower for that mater when the requirements for this kind of dirty games are (usually) low?
"...despite Russian propaganda efforts to paint it otherwise."
You seem to know a lot about geopolitics, strategy, and psychological warfare! Why would a player limit itself to only align with someone after the eruption of a given conflict? Why would it refrain from causing an opportunistic conflict in the first place? And why a superpower for that mater when the requirements for this kind of dirty games are (usually) low?