Member-only story
“I Will Be Hanged”
I am sure you have noticed the escalation in Ukraine after we saw a withdrawal half-floated last month. Well, now we know why. And it is predictable. We have been saying for years that Russia would rather lose to NATO. But now we know an even better reason. Mind you, this is very Russian and hardly a surprise. Yes, Vladimir Putin remembers what happened to the Romanovs. Ok, they were shot. Whether it’s a bullet or a rope, it’s the same result. Some of this also comes from the fate of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi. So read this in this light:
“I will be hanged”: this is what Putin told his close associates — the dictator fears for his life in case of defeat in Ukraine, — The Economist.
▪️He probably believes that ending the war without achieving even the minimum goal of capturing all of eastern Donbas of Ukraine would expose him to physical danger;
▪️Sources close to the Kremlin claim that after several weeks of reflection over the summer, Putin seems to have decided to escalate;
▪️His long-time associate says that he probably viewed the visit of CIA Director Ratcliffe as a sign of American weakness;
▪️The dictator is going to send another 300,000–400,000 Russians to the war. Additional people will likely be recruited through coercion by regional governments to contain any political discontent;
