Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments on Wednesday about a “special military operation” in Ukraine hinted at some of his intentions for the future.

In the analysis published on his page by the author Twitter Retired general Mick Ryan notes that the Kremlin leader has spoken again about Russia’s nuclear weapons, apparently backing away from the more aggressive threats he has made in his speeches, announcing partial mobilization and announcing the annexation of Ukrainian territories occupied by his forces.

Unusually for him, Putin on Wednesday read many of his statements from paper rather than using a prompter.

“We are not crazy, we know what nuclear weapons are. We have these means in a more advanced and modern form than any other nuclear country, this is an obvious fact. But we’re not going to run around the world swinging this weapon like a razor,” Putin said Wednesday at the annual televised meeting of the President’s Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, referring to the war in Ukraine.

Ryan, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and the US Marine Corps Command and Staff College, points to positive developments on the subject in the Kremlin leader’s speech, if his claims were true.

“But what does that really mean? He strengthens the angle in which he has put himself by invading Ukraine. By ruling out the use of nuclear weapons, it reduces any potential for direct NATO intervention in the war,” the Australian officer said.

Vladimir Putin failed her by conquering Ukraine

Putin has also toned down his rhetoric about conquering Ukraine a bit, he said, to remove an existential threat to Russia that would allow him to back off a bit from Moscow’s military goals if necessary.

“Its military has likely shown simulations showing that the use of multiple tactical nuclear warheads would have minimal impact on the battlefield, but huge, long-term strategic impact for Russia and its neighbors,” Meek added. Ryan.

The general also notes that during the same televised address on Wednesday, Putin also said of the war that it would be, “of course, a long process.”

“These words are probably long chosen, intended for many audiences,” Ryan notes.

The Russian president once again tried to scare Western leaders

The first target audience is the population of Russia as a whole, and the Kremlin leader is probably trying to morally prepare Russians for a possible expansion of the war in the future, including new stages of mobilization.

Putin outright ruled it out in his speech, but did so at the start of the war, when he promised that only professional soldiers would be sent to fight in the “special military operation” he ordered on February 24.

Another target audience of his speech is the officials of the Russian armed forces and power structures, whom Putin wants to keep on his side, assuring them that he will not leave Ukraine.

Last but not least, Vladimir Putin addressed Western countries that support Ukraine.

“He asks them again whether high inflation and long-term energy costs are worth it in exchange for supporting Ukraine. In essence, he is saying to Western governments, “good luck keeping the population on your side for many years in this war, and good luck expanding your munitions production capacity to keep up with Ukraine’s consumption,” says Mick Ryan.

He notes that these statements by Putin once again emphasize the need for the West to show “strategic patience” in supporting Kyiv in the winter months and then in 2023.

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