Originally Posted by FP Magazine
In a televised meeting on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his top security officials and regional governors that Kyiv’s attack is an attempt to
divert Russian attention from Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and gain leverage for possible future peace talks. “It’s obvious that the enemy will keep trying to destabilize the situation in the border zone to try to destabilize the domestic political situation in our country,” Putin said.
The Kremlin has tried to
downplay the attack and distract from the Russian military’s poor preparedness in responding to it, with Putin doubling down on past accusations that
Western nations are “fighting us with the hands of the Ukrainians.” He also claimed that Ukraine’s actions have bolstered Russian military volunteer numbers.
I do not care for Mr Putin, but he's got that about right.