WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Doctor Doom #8 by Christopher Cantwell, Salvador Larroca, Guru-eFX, and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
Victor von Doom may call himself a "Doctor," but he is a conqueror and imperialist before anything else, and Doctor Doom #8 serves as a stark reminder of that. While part of the issue details Blue Marvel and an alternate universe Otto Octavius try to stop the ever-expanding black hole on the Moon, Doom has his sights set much closer to home. In fact, his focus is right next door to his own homeland of Latveria.
As Doom writes in his journal, recounting the terrifying vision of scarred children, ones left disfigured in the image of Doom himself. After allowing himself a moment of weakness and reprieve, Doom's story moves along to "a note about Reed Richards' bravery." World leaders around the globe, even though they ultimately believe Doom to be responsible for what has happened, call upon Doom to help with the black hole threatening the globe. Reed, the one who created and implemented the technology which led to the disaster, is nowhere to be seen. The fact that Richards couldn't show his face infuriates Doom, but the ruler of Latveria acquiesces to the cries for help he is receiving. There's just one thing Doom wants first in exchange: A free pass to invade and conquer the neighboring nation of Symkaria.
Symkaria, located just south of Latveria in the Balkans, has long been closely tied to Doom's homeland. During the Cold War, the two nations, backed primarily by the might of Latveria, were able to effectively bubble themselves from the Soviet Union and both nations remained sovereign. Symkaria has been a focal point for stories set around political intrigue and civil unrest in the Marvel Universe and has produced at least one household name in Silver Sable. Silver Sable has even managed to keep the entire nation afloat financially almost single-handedly through her mercenary enterprises and ownership of Silver Sable International.
Most recently, Symkarian spies have been instigating a secret coup against Doctor Doom, one that began before he was restored to power, a situation which is entirely unacceptable to Doom. He gets permission from the leaders of the other nations, and attacks Symkaria, leading his Doombots and soldiers across the border personally. The destruction is almost total, with the invading forces even eradicating the majority of the livestock in the small nation.
Doom even gets the opportunity to cut down the Countess, who informs him that she is not the spy he is looking for before she dies. Instead, Doom is looking for a woman he has never heard of, Ionela Novotny. Novotny was the ringleader of the coup, having infiltrated Doom's Children early on in her life. When her cover was blown, Novotny barely escaped with her life but lost her husband. Novotny also left behind a child named Zora, now Doom's herald Victorious, who is instructed by her ruler to kill the woman who abandoned her and attempted to stop Doom's re-ascension to his throne.
This action takes a heavy toll on Doom psychologically, but it is what must be done to ensure that his rule is without question. Doctor Doom has never been one to hold back in his conquests, and his invasion of Symkaria is no different. Doom does wonder how he will be able to keep up with this crumbling small nation now under his thumb but he is resourceful and relentless, so it isn't hard to imagine that if he chooses for Symkaria to prosper, it will.