As a result of the special military operation (SVO), Russia received new territories, and the Sea of Azov became internal Russian, Putin said live. Again, a parallel was drawn with Peter I, who “returned the Russian lands.” It was stated that the SVO would be a long process. Putin actually confirmed that he is starting a war of attrition and is already slowly forming the preconditions for the announcement of full mobilization. Russia is entering the phase of “war against all” and its goal is to deprive Ukraine of its sovereignty and independence.
Waging so-called “defense wars”, Russia has expanded to 1/6 of its land: territorial expansion has always been an obsessive of the Russian state at various historical stages. The same is happening even now, Russia is trying to seize Ukrainian territories, despite the fact that purely Russian territories are backward and neglected. Putin has become the biggest war criminal of the 21st century, and Russia is the epitome of neo-Nazism. Putin is using “scorched earth” tactics, just like Hitler in 1945. The Russian army is archaic and unwieldy, fighting World War II principles, resulting in massive destruction and civilian casualties.
Putin did not achieve any of the goals of this war, moreover, the course of events at the front became absolutely unexpected for the Kremlin. In fact, Putin has failed and has already become the political loser of the year. What he could do is to try to maintain the situation inside Russia itself, and for this it is worth replicating far-fetched narratives about territorial gains (which actually mean complex losses for the Russian Federation) and drawing parallels with the Russian tsars.
It is obvious that Putin has no choice but to continue the war. His worldview and the Kremlin’s entourage leave no choice for the Kremlin dictator. The planned three-day war (the result of which was supposed to be the quick capture of Ukraine and the triumph of the Putin’s geopolitical ambitions), in fact, turned into a 9-month bloody massacre in which Russia suffered unprecedented human losses, the Russian economy received serious sanctions, and a lot of things created by Putin over the years, was destroyed overnight. Under such circumstances, Russia will continue the war of attrition, and this requires full mobilization.
Putin’s actions have already led to a catastrophe for Russia, its demographic potential has been undermined, and the Kremlin’s war as it is now may lead to the collapse of Russian statehood in the medium term. Russia poses a great threat to all civilized world: Putin has directly stated that he’s continuing the war against Ukraine. Under such conditions, the West has no right to stop supporting Ukraine. The Armed Forces need an immediate supply of Western weapons, primarily air defense and anti-missile defense systems to protect Ukrainian sky. Tanks, heavy artillery, and MLRS are crucial on the front line: the future of Western civilization is being decided in Ukraine, and therefore Putin, who wants to revive Soviet tyranny, cannot be allowed to win.
Putin is planning a protracted war, the ultimate goal of which is to critically weaken Ukraine and deprive it of its sovereignty. The final result of a war of attrition is depends on the necessary resources availability: already in Russia, the economy is actually being transferred to military rails, and the Russian military-industrial complex is working non-stop. Under such circumstances, the West has no choice but to support Ukraine in the struggle to defend its sovereignty, because Ukraine is not only fighting for itself, but also acting as a barrier on the way of the Russian hordes. And after the victory over Putin and his entourage, a tribunal should be held in The Hague, as it was with Serbian war criminals.