Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent more than two decades carefully cultivating his domestic political image of a strong foreign policy strategist who can outsmart Western leaders and restore Russia to its former glory.
counteroffensive in eastern UkraineExperts said the Russian collapse in Ukraine's Kharkiv region represented the biggest challenge of Putin's career, and that the Kremlin leader was running out of options.
The Kremlin on Monday said Putin was aware of the situation on the frontlines, and insisted Russia would achieve all the goals of its "special military operation" -- the phrase Moscow is using for its war on Ukraine -- to take control of all of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The Kremlin has so far rejected the idea of a mass mobilization and Russia watchers believe it is unlikely that Putin would call for one, because he is aware that such a move would likely prove unpopular and would be seen as an admission that the "special military operation" is, in fact, a war.
Haring said Putin could make some personnel changes but that high-profile ousting are not usually his style. What experts say is inevitable is that the Kremlin will seek to deflect blame for the botched operation. For now, the propaganda machine is largely sticking with the usual narrative.
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