Joe Tresidder, writing at the Campbridge Language Collective, explains Why Putin will never surrender even in the obviously lost cause of conquering heroic Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin during a speech at the ceremony of signing agreements on the annexation of four regions of eastern Ukraine (Photo: Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, CC BY 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons)
Excerpt:
24 February 2022. …
It was the day when the eyes of almost every European were on Putin, with the invasion forcing even those who paid little to no attention to the ruthless Russian dictator before to ask themselves the following questions: What does Putin want to achieve? What lengths will he go to get what he wants? And is my country safe anymore?
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Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, a proud sovereign country, was certainly a bold move, one so audacious that it was seen as unthinkable by many in the weeks and months preceding it. And yet he went ahead with it, willing to take a massive gamble on a conflict which could end up decimating the Russian army, economy, and even his own grip on power across Russia.
By invading Ukraine, Putin not only sent a powerful message about how he’s no longer willing to play happy families with the West, but he also put all his chips on the table. And by doing so, he would’ve had to accept the possibility of losing everything in the process. After all, gambles don’t always pay off.
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Russia’s lacklustre gains in the war thus far, as the planned capture of Kyiv has gone from being a genuine concern amongst the Ukrainians to now seeming far less likely, reflect how Putin remains stuck in this war of attrition for the long haul. He could always order a surrender and instead call it a tactical retreat, you may say. But this ignores the fact that giving up is not an option for Putin if he wants to remain in power.
Putin cannot survive as Russian dictator if Russia loses the war in Ukraine. It’s as simple as that. …
All of this is a hypothetical situation which may never even come to pass. Yet it’s important to consider how Putin’s dictatorship could be fatally undermined if Russia were to give up on the war in Ukraine. After all, Putin’s grip on power rests upon the fact that others close to him are too afraid to challenge him.
If he were to show weakness by failing to secure a victory in Ukraine, this would likely make it easier for some of his inner circle to coalesce around an alternative leader, as Putin would no longer be seen as unbeatable.
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You may think that the war in Ukraine will end in Russian victory. Or perhaps you’re convinced that the charismatic President Zelensky can lead his army to repel the Russian threat. But hopefully you now see that regardless of the potential outcome of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, surrender is not an option for Vladimir Putin. For him, giving up would be like turkeys voting for Christmas, and this is what makes Putin a dangerous and formidable foe.
Slava Ukraine!
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