Decryption

War in Ukraine: how far will Vladimir Putin go?

Audio 7:30 p.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 21, 2022. © ALEXEY NIKOLSKY / SPUTNIK / AFP

By: Anne Corpet Follow

1 min

As in 2014, during the conquest of Crimea, the offensive in Ukraine was supposed to be a simple "special military operation".

But, the easy victory that Vladimir Putin was hoping for did not happen.

Ukrainian resistance has been underestimated.

And Moscow, which was betting on the relative apathy of the West, is facing a united bloc, unprecedented sanctions.

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The European Union, the United States, Great Britain and many others are knocking on the pocketbook, preventing Russian planes from circulating, withdrawing from the economy.

In power for more than twenty years, sitting alone at the end of oversized tables in the huge salons of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin appears as an isolated head of state.

His entourage seems to tell him only what he wants to hear.

In the street, however, despite the risks hanging over them, thousands of Russians dare to challenge the offensive led by the master of the Kremlin.

Does Putin pay attention to the opinions of Russian citizens who dispute him?

Is it about

a massively shared anger or a marginal phenomenon?

Will the weight of the sanctions end up weakening the Russian head of state?

How far will Putin go to quench his thirst for reconquering a lost empire?

Decryption with: 

- Sacha Koulaeva

, teacher at

, expert in Russian civil society and human rights  

- Olga Bronnikova,

lecturer at the

, sociologist specializing in Russia.  

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