Do Putin's Ukraine strikes signal a new phase in Russia's war?
As Russian rockets rained down on Ukrainian cities this week, one group of vocal Kremlin critics was delighted.
As Russian rockets rained down on Ukrainian cities this week, one group of vocal Kremlin critics was delighted.
After weeks of military setbacks and domestic chaos culminated in the embarrassment of a bridge explosion in annexed Crimea, criticism from pro-war hawks and hard-liners in Moscow grew to a peak. The strikes Monday against civilians and critical infrastructure — as well as the appointment of a man known as “General Armageddon” to lead the campaign — offered a display of Russian might those critics could revel in.
But does the deadly barrage suggest a significant and sustained shift by the Russian military, or is the Kremlin likely to face renewed anger as the dust settles and the reality on the battlefield takes prominence once more?
Should Russia cede more ground in the coming days or weeks, analysts said, the same pro-Kremlin figures, propagandists and military bloggers who praised President Vladimir Putin’s decisiveness Monday would most likely get their knives out again.
“The attacks are likely to provide only a brief respite for Putin, because they do not change the basic challenges facing the Russian military campaign,” said Christopher Tuck, an expert in conflict and security at King’s College London. “The next battlefield reverse is likely to immediately restore the domestic political pressure on Putin.”
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