The report cited the dictator’s interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, December 22, in which he repeated his claim that Russia should have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine even earlier than February 2022, but added that it was impossible to say exactly when that would have happened .
According to Putin, “Ukraine and the West misled Russia” and failed to implement the Minsk agreements. This allegedly gave time for Western partners to prepare Kiev for future “military actions” against Russia.
The Kremlin chief said Russia should have “prepared for this” and “chosen the right moment” to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and not “wait for the moment when nothing can be done.”
ISW noted that Putin did not mention Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen its military as a defensive response to Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territory in 2014 and the outbreak of war in the country’s east.
“Minsk Agreement II (package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Protocol on February 11-12, 2015 – ed.) was extremely beneficial for Russia, without imposing any obligations on Moscow, which participated in the negotiations ostensibly as a neutral mediator. The agreements established a “ceasefire regime “which Russian puppets (“DPR” and “LPR” – ed.) constantly violated with the support of Russia”, reminded the institute of studies of war.
Putin’s threat
On December 19, the annual “Direct Line” took place, during which Vladimir Putin communicated with citizens of the Russian Federation and commented on the latest events and intentions of the Kremlin.
During the broadcast, the dictator said he would have decided on a full-scale invasion sooner if he could do it over. He also said that Ukraine did not adhere to the Minsk agreements and that Russia “spontaneously” invaded in February 2022.
Putin too threatened to strike Ukraine again with the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile.
The Russian Federation first used a missile of this type to hit the Dnieper on November 21, after the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit a command post near Kursk with Western missiles, killing several North Korean generals.
In addition, the dictator declared that Russia was rapidly advancing and winning on the battlefield and would survive the determination of Ukraine and the West. ISW advised the leaders of Western countries to strengthen support for Ukraine and ensure that the Russian Federation loses the war.
Read urgent and important messages about Russia’s war against Ukraine on the channel RBC-Ukraine on Telegram.
