Putin cornered?
In recent weeks, Russian President has been sending aggressive messages to enemies abroad, while the pressure on the domestic field is growing.
Tuesday, 18.05.2021.
07:02
Putin cornered?
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Kiev as part of new efforts by the administration of President Joe Biden to show support for Ukraine, after the recent accumulation of Russian troops on the country's border. Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and emphasized America's commitment to this Eastern European state."We are monitoring the situation very, very closely and I can tell you, Mr. President, that we stand by you as strongly as our partners do," Blinken said, pointing out that although most Russian troops withdrew, "significant forces" remained.
Although Putin ordered the withdrawal a few weeks later, the move drew condemnation from the international community and led to weeks of heightened tensions and fears of invasion. It was these tensions that led Biden to send U.S. diplomat to Kiev.
Blinken, who was deputy national security adviser from 2013-2015, and Deputy Secretary of State 2015-2017, is already familiar with Putin's tactics. He played an important role in the Barack Obama administration's response to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Many rejected Russia's move as a mere rattling of weapons, but after more than two decades of autocratic rule, Putin's political arsenal has worn out. The growing domestic opposition, led by Alexei Navalny, the weak economy and poor management of the health crisis have increased pressure on Putin and his loyalists.
The consequence is that Putin is using the levers of his propaganda machinery to remove any challenge to his government, and nowhere has this proved more obvious than in his address to the nation before the Russian parliament last month.
Putin used the opportunity, as Business Insider writes, to twist his "hits", spiced with anti-Western rhetoric (including covert threats and ultimatums) in the hope of intensifying the climate of discontent among Russians towards Europe and America. He warned the West not to cross the "red lines" of Russia.
"If someone interprets our good intentions as indifference or weakness, they should know that Russia's response will be quick and sharp," Putin said.
But he did not even mention Navalny or the opposition, despite protests and arrests before, during and after the speech. According to the New York Times, Russian authorities arrested "dozens of opposition activists" before Putin's speech, including Navalny's allies Kira Yarmush and Ljubov Sobol.
This support will continue to grow as Putin increases pressure. The BBC reported that the prosecutor ordered the closure of all support offices for Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). The report indicates that the Kremlin could mark his foundation as a terrorist organization, which would enable Putin to arrest Navalny's supporters and freeze his property.
Currently, most of the Russian military equipment is still standing on the Ukrainian border since the operation in April. Although the number of soldiers has been sharply reduced, it is not a problem for the Russian authorities to redeploy them along the border. Perhaps the past military parade on the occasion of Victory Day showed enough in that sense.
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