Putin is so obsessed with Ukraine that he is willing to sacrifice his own supporters to conquer the country. He is willing to risk everything – and so the West should take Putin’s nuclear threat very seriously.
Tatjana Stanowaja, translation: Annette Streck
September 21 marks the beginning of a new political era for the majority of ordinary citizens of Russia. Vladimir Putin’s announcement of partial mobilization and his decision to hold referendums in four occupied Ukrainian regions on joining Russia – effectively annexing them – will significantly change the people’s relationship with the government. Parallel to the geopolitical crisis, Russia’s internal political crisis is also intensifying. Putin used violence to drag his own people into the war.