Moscow – President Vladimir Putin is pursuing a dual strategy of boasting about military gains to his domestic audience while threatening a massive escalation to his international rivals. He recently claimed the capture of 5,000 square kilometers in Ukraine this year.
The boast was made to his top military commanders, where he asserted that Russia now holds the “complete strategic initiative.” This is designed to project an image of a successful and unstoppable military campaign.
The threat was aimed squarely at the United States. Putin warned that the delivery of Tomahawk long-range missiles to Ukraine would trigger a “qualitatively new stage of escalation,” leading to the complete destruction of the relationship between Moscow and Washington.
While Putin engaged in this high-stakes messaging, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed a different kind of threat. He accused Russia of using its civilian oil tanker fleet to conduct intelligence gathering and sabotage operations.
Zelenskyy affirmed that a coordinated response is being prepared. He stated that Ukraine is working with its allies to counter this unconventional threat, expressing his belief that “it is entirely possible to stop this.”
