"It has dealt a significant blow to the reputation of the Russian Federation, and specifically to Putin": a political scientist assessed the political consequences of the events in the Kursk region
Kyiv • UNN
The entry of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the territory of the Russian Federation dealt a significant blow to Putin's reputation and showed the incapacity of the Russian authorities. This may affect Ukraine's position at the upcoming Peace Summit and the attitude of partners to Russia's “red lines.
The entry of the Armed Forces of Ukraine into the territory of Russia, namely into the Kursk region, has dealt a significant blow to the reputation of the Russian Federation, and specifically to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The events in the Kursk region have domestic political implications for Russia, and have already shown Ukraine's partners that there are no "red lines" that Putin talks about. This opinion was expressed in a commentary to UNN by political scientist Igor Reiterovich.
Details
The political consequence as of today is that, firstly, the reputation of the Russian Federation, and specifically Putin, who says that everything is under control, Russia is on the rise and ready to end the war on favorable terms, has been significantly damaged. And then it turns out that it is not only about ending the war, but they do not control a large enough part of their territory. This showed the incapacity of the Russian power vertical, the lack of any communication at the local level and the existence of significant differences between the regions of Russia. These stories that we are seeing now, refugees want to be resettled in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and they are not very welcome in the territory of Russia. This will also have some long-term consequences
He notes that the events in the Kursk region will send a signal to Ukraine's partners that there are no "red lines" in fact.
"Russia's threats are only threats on paper, or somewhere in the public sphere, and there is no sense in these restrictions that have been imposed on Ukraine on the use of Western weapons. Another consequence is a signal to the countries that are partners (of Russia - ed.) or countries that are neutral to the Russian-Ukrainian war that Putin's stories about full control over the situation are far from reality. Russia does not control anything, at least in the format it talks about," Reiterovich added.
Also, according to him, the events in the Kursk region have domestic political implications for Russia.
"I think that some part of the economic elite after these events has been thinking a lot about the prospects for the future, because they were promised that the situation would be resolved, the war would end soon, but in fact it turns out differently. Therefore, they will either fall into further depression, apathy, or they will actually take certain steps to facilitate the end of the war on any terms so that it ends as soon as possible. This will clearly go against the position that Putin is taking," the political scientist adds.
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There have been reports online that Putin's inner circle is demanding that he step down as president, but Reiterovich notes that this may not be the case.
"It looks like some kind of conspiracy. In this context, there is no direct threat to Putin's power today. But the fact that a significant part of his entourage is definitely disappointed in the prospects and what he promises is a fact. And it was noticeable during the meetings, where they sat with stone faces. I think their actions, their reactions, and their willingness to work for Russia have significantly decreased. In this context, this is a very significant consequence that will continue to develop further in space and time. We are only at the beginning. Since it will not be possible to quickly displace our troops, who have created a sanitary zone there, every day these events will hit the Putin regime and the potential of the political and economic elite, which may not be very active in implementing what he says," the political scientist added.
In addition, Reiterovich assessed the impact of the events in Russia on the upcoming Peace Summit.
"They may have an impact in the sense that Ukraine will now have different negotiating positions, they will be somewhat stronger. We can use this. It is difficult to say how we will use it. We need to see how it will go further," the political scientist summarized.
