Also, looking back at the title, I have to disagree. “They” have learned a very valuable lesson from this war - anything goes. The ghost of USSR is finally at rest, there is no-one left to challenge the Hegemon. No lie is too blatant, no atrocity too great. They can do anything and get away with it.
Guess that’s expected when the goal is to make some very select people in a very select country richer than god