The Russian Federation is preparing for a potential war with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and is seeking to conquer Ukraine to exploit its resource potential, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The report notes that the Kremlin will consider anything short of Ukraine’s capitulation as an existential threat to Russia’s ability to wage war against the Alliance. Russian military leaders planning a war against NATO must anticipate that Ukraine may enter such a conflict on behalf of the Union, regardless of Ukraine’s membership status in the Alliance. ISW analysts be…