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Atlantic Council

Atlantic Council

Invasion? What invasion? Putin is downplaying Ukraine’s Kursk offensive

Atlantic Council
Summary
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71% Informative

Ukraine 's bold summer offensive caught the Kremlin completely off-guard and has transformed perceptions of a war that many believed was moving slowly but surely toward an inevitable Russian victory.

Putin initially branded the invasion a “large-scale provocation,” and has since compared the advancing Ukrainian army to “terrorists” Russia ’s propagandists are taking their lead from Putin himself, writes Peter Dickinson .

Putin may feel his best option is to downgrade Ukraine ’s invasion to the level of border skirmish and pretend it is nothing to worry about.

By occupying more than one thousand square kilometers of Russian territory, Ukraine has dealt a serious blow to Putin 's strongman image.

Putin succeeded in bluffing the world for almost two -and-a-half years, but Ukraine has now called his bluff in the most emphatic manner.