Russian President Vladimir V. Putin ended a week of upbeat and sometimes rambling comments to him about the Ukraine war by asserting on Friday that Russia was very confident about winning the counteroffensive. Ukraine to the extent that he has ruled out the use of nuclear weapons.
Skipping the time to avoid discussing the details of the war, Putin addressed an audience of Russia’s elite businessmen gathered at the St. Petersburg annual, that Ukraine has “no chance” against Russian forces and indicates that its Western supporters will tire of the conflict and stop supplying weapons, ending the war effort. by Kyiv.
Yet his assertions of success in the face of repeated setbacks seem to worry an ever-larger but smaller chorus of critics. They point to counter-attacks, drone strikes into Moscow, incursions of pro-Ukrainian militias into southern Russia and cross-border shelling of Russian towns as evidence. shows that things can get out of control.
That might explain why Mr. Putin has been careful this week to present himself as a savvy commander-in-chief, in fact, even asserting at one point on Friday that “now” Ukraine is attacking with two tanks here and five there. But his strategy of claiming success while dismissing issues related to key military elements like smart weapons or border protection is a contradiction, his critics say, cannot. exist forever.
Alfred Kokh, a former Russian deputy prime minister and opposition politician, wrote: “The Russian army is already completely on the defensive, and all its achievements are measured only by the fact that they have not retreated much. very”. comment on Facebook. “He always explains one thing: It’s not his fault. It was the Ukrainians, the NATO, the Americans, he was just coerced, not he attacked, that was necessary.”
Mr. Putin is sometimes belligerent and downright annoyed, especially when it comes to defaming Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. “I have had many Jewish friends since I was a child,” Putin said. “They say Zelensky is not a Jew. He is a disgrace to the Jews.”
Then he repeated his mistake declaration on Ukraine like a nest of Nazi sympathizers. Mr. Putin often tries to justify his invasion of Ukraine by describing it as an extension of the Soviet Union’s historic defeat to Nazi Germany in World War II. On Friday, he indicated it was an emotional preoccupation, noting that he had ordered evidence of Nazi ties there just before going to bed the night before.
He then presented gruesome black-and-white photographs of war victims filmed during the Second World War, claiming that then-Ukrainian nationalists sought to create a purebred nation. . Mr. Putin made a connection with the earlier era by once again declaring that Ukrainians still revere Stepan Banderaa political leader during World War II accused of collaborating with the Nazis to liberate the country from Soviet control.
While accusing the Ukrainians of trying to lure him to escalate the conflict, Putin stated that Russia does not need to use its substantial nuclear arsenal because war cannot threaten the existence of the country. grandfather.
“Of course, the use of nuclear weapons is possible for Russia, it can happen if there is a threat to our territorial integrity, our independence and sovereignty, the existence of our country. Russia,” he said before adding, “We don’t have this need.”
Putin also confirmed that Russia’s first batch of tactical nuclear warheads had been received deployed in neighboring Belarus to serve as a deterrent against attacks on Russia, and more to come before the end of the year.
Mr. Putin has asserted since the invasion began that the West has forced him to act by using Ukraine as a stalking horse to intimidate Russia. Critics scoffed at it, saying he decided to invade because his repeated attempts to assert political control over Kyiv had failed and that he couldn’t bear it. tolerate having a thriving democracy as an alternative to Russian autocracy right next door.
Through bombastic and unsubstantiated claims of success, Putin made it clear this week that, whatever may happen in the short term, his greatest weapon is time.
“His own hope is that the West will withdraw from Ukraine,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, head of political analysis firm R.Politik. “He doesn’t want to talk to the West; It’s too late and things have gone too far, and he doesn’t seem willing.”
If Mr. Putin tries to show a certain composure regarding the counterattack, on Friday he threatened that F-16 . fighter promised Ukraine to “burn” like some of the modern Western tanks Ukraine was using in its counteroffensive. He added that Russia may have to take stronger measures if the warplanes are stationed at airports outside Ukraine.
He also repeated that Russia may be forced to create a buffer zone in eastern Ukraine to put Ukrainian artillery out of reach, a comment that has led to mocking comments, given the problems that are hindering the Russian military. .
Viktor I. Alksnis, a former right-wing member of the Russian Parliament and retired Soviet Air Force colonel, wrote on Telegram that Putin appeared to overstate the extent of territory Russia controls in southeastern Ukraine. How can Putin think of an exclusion zone, he said, “if we can’t drive the enemy out of Donetsk?”
In a speech to the businessmen present – none of them from the West – Putin rambled on for more than an hour about Western sanctions and the withdrawal of many foreign companies. did not cloud the prospects of the Russian economy.
Sometimes juxtaposition can be jarring. In the context of war, where Russia often fails to provide basic necessities for the army, Putin suggested the tourism industry invest in “glamping”.
Russia has classified much of its economic data so it is nearly impossible to check official numbers. Although the International Economic Forum St. Petersburg was originally conceived as a way to showcase Russian technology and investment opportunities to Western business leaders, sanctions and war have barely taken place this year.
A Russian economist wrote on Twitter that he was surprised to listen to Mr. Putin’s speech on the country’s economic growth, low inflation and unemployment, reduction in the number of poor, success among and other innovations, asset security and a generally healthy investment climate.
“I want to live in the country that Putin described,” said economist Andrei Nechaev, a former economic development minister.
Alina Lobzina contributed reporting from London, Milana Mazaeva from New York and Oleg Matsnev from Berlin.
