Vladimir Putin’s playbook for mid-autumn 2022, more than seven months into the full scale invasion of Ukraine, is dangerous not only for Ukraine but for the West as well. The most threatening part of this scenario is making the war a frozen conflict or even raging on for years, with Russians shelling Ukrainian civilians and blackmailing the world with nuclear threats. Russia’s sham referenda are a part of this playbook. But what does the attempt to annex 15 per cent of Ukraine mean in practice for Ukraine, Russia and the world?
October 4, 2022 -
Vladyslav Faraponov