Putin's nuclear threats highlight Europe's vulnerability
Vladimir Putin is once again threatening the West. Recently, he has been talking a lot about Russia's powerful weaponry. "Europe is defenceless," he stated.
Many of the reports given by Russian media or government officials are elements of propaganda. Such reports are part of the information war conducted by the Russian Federation.
Putin warned that Europe is "defenceless" and unprepared for a nuclear conflict with Russia, as reported by the "Daily Telegraph." The Russian leader presented his claims during a press conference held on the sidelines of the international economic forum in St. Petersburg.
He also claimed that NATO would not protect Europe in a war with Russia. "Europe does not have a developed early warning system. In that sense, they are defenceless," he warned. As the daily newspaper notes, Putin has previously boasted about Russia's nuclear arsenal, but this week he intensified his rhetoric.
At the same time, Putin stated that Russia could use such weapons in exceptional cases, such as a threat to the state's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "I don't think such a case will occur. There is no need," he said.
ISW: "victory theory" of Putin is a prolonged war of attrition against Ukraine
"Vladimir Putin assumes that Russia will win the war with Ukraine through gradual, slow advances and preventing Ukrainians from conducting counteroffensive operations," writes the Institute for the Study of War, analyzing the Russian leader's speech during the economic forum in St. Petersburg.
"Putin announced on June 7 at 8:00 PM ET his theory of victory in Ukraine, which assumes the ability of Russian forces to gradually, creeping advance, preventing the Ukrainian side from conducting effective counterattacks and winning the war of attrition," emphasizes ISW in its latest report, analyzing Vladimir Putin's speech.
