After Russia retreats in Ukraine, what could Putin do next?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has few good options after his military retreat in the face of Ukraine's counteroffensive. Here's what the Kremlin could do next.

His military is on the retreat, his rivals are increasingly bullish, and even his supporters are voicing rare unease: Russian President Vladimir Putin may be in his weakest position since he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than 200 days ago. 

In Washington, Europe and even Moscow, the question now is what Putin might be planning to regain an initiative that seems to be slipping away from him with every new battlefield update.

Could the Kremlin order full military mobilization, press harder in its energy war or even countenance a drastic move like a tactical nuclear strike? Western officials and military analysts agreed that Putin appears to have few good options available.

“It’s really unenviable when you look at the war from his position,” said Michael Kimmage, who focused on the Ukraine-Russia issue at the State Department during the Obama administration. “In a way, the whole concept of the war is off, misguided, and that’s a huge burden on Putin as things have gotten considerably worse in the last week.”

With Ukraine looking to consolidate its gains and advance farther into Russian-held territory, the immediate need for the Kremlin is to stem the tide. Putin can most quickly address the disquiet at home by halting Ukrainian advances and returning to the relative stalemate that proved an effective pressure point on Kyiv and its Western allies.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-retreats-ukraine-what-will-putin-do-military-kremlin-rcna47514


Post ID: 8e61e089-e238-4d34-a2ae-0da878304a83
Rating: 5
Updated: 1 year ago
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