Putin Equates Ukraine, Nazis, Threatens to Escalate Actions

"MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin used the commemoration of a pivotal World War II battle to marshal support for his military campaign in Ukraine, threatening again to unleash the most powerful weapons at his disposal to thwart what he says are the West's attempts to ensure Russia's defeat.

Mr. Putin's remarks in Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, where 80 years ago the Soviet Union's Red Army blocked advancing Nazi forces in one of the bloodiest episodes of the entire war, were heavy with symbolism.

Since Mr. Putin ordered the military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, he and other senior Kremlin figures have sought to portray the conflict as a continuation of Russia's World War II fight against the Nazis and fascism. Fighting raged for 200 days, becoming a turning point in the war and the defeat of Adolf Hitler's army.

"The ideology of Nazism, already in its modern manifestation, creates threats to the security of our country," he said, warning of the consequences of any new conflict over Ukraine.

"Those who draw European countries into a new war with Russia, those who expect to defeat Russia on the battlefield, apparently do not understand that a modern war with Russia will be completely different," Mr. Putin said. "We do not send our tanks to their borders, but we have something else to respond with."

Polls show that Mr. Putin's claims that his nation is in an existential fight resonate with average Russians.

A survey published in January by the Levada Center in Moscow, which bills itself as independent, showed that 71% of 1,611 respondents across 50 Russian regions support Russia's military operation -- a slight drop from the 74% of people who a month earlier said they favored it, according to Levada.” [1]

 

If you find yourself in a dangerous hole that you keep digging, stop digging. The further our actions go in Ukraine, the more we unite the Russians. It is clear that the naive dream that Russia will not withstand our actions and will soon collapse is pure fantasy. Let's think about how to get out of the hole we are in, how to convince the Russians that we, the West, only want peace. Especially since the Chinese are already launching exploratory balloons in the direction of our nuclear weapons.

 

1.  World News: Putin Equates Ukraine, Nazis, Threatens to Escalate Actions
Simmons, Ann M.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 03 Feb 2023: A.7.