Putin punishes Ukraine to avoid looking weak

April 28, 2022

Putin Punishes Ukraine To Avoid Looking Weak | GZERO World

Russia's war in Ukraine is clearly not going as Vladimir Putin planned.

His "special military operation" has become a punishment because he can't convert Ukrainians, says political scientist Ivan Krastev, author of "After Europe."

Meanwhile, he tells Ian Bremmer, on GZERO World, Putin's state media has convinced many Russians that they are really fighting the West — basically fighting Americans since the propaganda says Ukrainians are really Russians.

"This is why he cannot stop."

So, what comes next? Krastev believes Putin will escalate because he has the autocrat's curse: he cannot be perceived as weak.

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