Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine over 1,000 days ago, and now fears of wider conflict are bubbling.
The Russian President, 72, has been the country’s leader for more than 22 years and has long sought to stop Ukraine from getting closer to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), a military alliance that includes the US and the UK. On February 24, 2022, the Kremlin leader launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ever since, Putin has been very clear about his goal – for Russia to have political control over Ukraine. But what else does the former KGB officer have planned? As Putin’s ally issues a chilling World War Three warning, the Mirror takes a look at his most terrifying potential moves – including killing Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Nuclear warnings
In September, Putin said that if Western countries allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with their longer-rage weapons, “it will mean that NATO countries, the US and European countries are at war with Russia”. That line has now been crossed following the decision by US President Joe Biden’s administration to allow Ukraine to launch missiles into Russian territory.
In response, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia and one of Putin’s keenest allies, declared in a statement: “This is already WWIII”, sparking fears of global conflict.
Hours before reports of Ukraine’s missile use came in, Putin approved a new nuclear doctrine, which states that Russia can consider the use of nuclear weapons if it is subject to a conventional missile assault. Professor Anthony Glees, a security and intelligence expert at the University of Buckingham, believes Putin will launch nuclear missiles on Ukraine, the US or the UK “if he feels like it.”
He explained to the Mirror: “[Putin is] saying, with cold brazen cheek, not just that he would deploy nukes if Russia (or Belarus) faced aggression from conventional force of arms if this were to ‘threaten our sovereignty or territorial integrity’, but that if a conventionally armed state (i.e. Ukraine) were ‘supported’ by a nuclear power (i.e. the USA – or the UK), this would be considered a ‘joint attack’ on Russia and be met by a nuclear response.
He summarised: “In other words, he’s saying he will feel free to launch a nuclear strike either on Ukraine or even on the USA and/or the UK if he feels like it.” Putin has also previously raised the prospect of sending weapons to the West’s adversaries, potentially referring to Iran.
Empty Ukraine
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s biggest cities, hospitals, schools and businesses have increased with time over the last two years. In April of this year, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the city – the second largest in Ukraine – is in danger of becoming a “second Aleppo” – Syria’s largest city before it was devastated by the Syrian Civil War.
“The Kremlin wants to make Ukraine’s second city unlivable,” The Economist reported that month. Kharkiv is still experiencing the effects of the war now and is repeatedly hit by bombings, blackouts and a loss of population.
In June, Putin said Russia would end the war if Kyiv agreed to drop its Nato ambitions and hand over the entirety of four provinces claimed by Moscow – which Ukraine swiftly rejected. He restated his demand for Ukraine’s demilitarisation and said an end to Western sanctions must also be part of the deal.
Global power
Earlier this year, senior Nato analysts shared Putin’s 10-year plan to expand Russia’s power across Europe and divide America. A senior officer close to the group explained to The London Evening Standard: “We may already be in year two of the plan, starting with the invasion of Ukraine two years ago.”
“Putin has been saying for some time now that Russia is now confronting the West, not just fighting Ukraine,” the source said. “Germany, as well as the US, among the allies is really worried – that if Ukraine falls, we are all in trouble.”
It is understood that if Ukraine is defeated, Russia will move to take over the Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – which are all Nato members. Putin would then target other Baltic regional neighbours, such as Finland, Poland and Sweden, dividing Europe and moving on to isolate America.
Kill Zelenksy
In contrast to Biden, the next US President, Donald Trump, has vowed to limit American support for Ukraine and end the war as soon as possible. But according to Professor Glees, Putin is aware that Trump’s modus operandi won’t work – and he will seek to take all of Ukraine and kill Zelensky to ensure that his country won’t be defeated.
The expert told the Mirror: “[Putin] knows Trump will make peace on the basis of Putin having what he’s already taken, forcing Ukraine to eschew NATO membership for 25 years. Putin knows this deal would not be worth the paper it’s written on and after a while will seek to take all of Ukraine and kill Zelensky into the bargain.”
Ruin the dollar
Putin has made it clear he wants to ruin the US dollar and is keen to develop alternatives. Last month, the Russian leader accused Western powers of “using the dollar as a weapon” at the BRIC’s summit, as the country has been locked out of the US-dollar-dominated global financial system, making payments and transactions difficult.
Putin said: “We are not refusing, not fighting the dollar, but if they don’t let us work with it, what can we do? We then have to look for other alternatives, which is happening.” Analysts from banking group ING said Putin’s focus is on “decreasing the use of the dollar and, where possible, increasing the use of BRICS currencies”.
