Russia expert: Putin ‘cornered like a rat’ and will do whatever necessary to lash out

Russian President Vladimir Putin is feeling “cornered like a rat” as his Ukrainian invasion lingers into its third week, a former U.S. intelligence officer instructed Fox Information Digital, and his private historical past suggests he’ll proceed to lash out as a way to regain the higher hand.

Rebekah Koffler, a former U.S. Protection Intelligence Company agent and writer of “Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America”, instructed Fox Information Digital on Saturday that an excerpt from Putin’s 2000 autobiography “First Particular person” detailing rising up in a dilapidated Leningrad house might be utilized to his file because the Russian chief and his present invasion of Ukraine.

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Putin describes in his e book having to traverse a number of rat infested flooring to get to his childhood house and that sooner or later he wrote that he grabbed a stick and chased a big rat right into a nook. When the rat realized he was trapped, he attacked younger Putin forcing him to run away in a second that apparently impacted the long run Russian president.

Koffler stated that the childhood story concerning the rat, and different tales Putin has accredited to be instructed about his private life, are a acutely aware effort to convey to the West that he’ll all the time strike again when trapped.

“He desires folks to know that when cornered, he can be preventing,” Koffler instructed Fox Information. “He is not going to be surrendering.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to feminine flight attendants in feedback broadcast on state tv on Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Picture: Reuters Video)
(Reuters Video)

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In one other biography, “Vladimir Putin: Life Historical past”, Putin is quoted as saying that he discovered by way of neighborhood fights as a baby that “it’s important to battle to the end line in each battle” and “you must assume that there isn’t any retreat.”

Putin’s predicament started when, based on Koffler, he “miscalculated” two main points associated to invading Ukraine by not factoring within the Ukrainian folks’s will to battle and the position know-how would play in bringing the photographs of destruction to households internationally.

“He positively miscalculated and now he feels that he’s trapped as a result of he has to execute this operation and attain his purpose.”

Koffler defined that Putin watched in horror because the U.S. toppled regimes in Libya and Iraq and fears he may meet the identical destiny, particularly when he hears American leaders declare that he’s a deranged madman and name for him to be assassinated by his inside circle.

A part of the explanation Putin is feeling the stress no matter any brief time period victories he may even see on the battlefield is that the Russian chief views this battle with Ukraine as a battle for the survival of his nation.

Creator Zbigniew Brzezinski  writes in his e book “The Grand Chessboard” that “he who controls Eurasia controls the world” and Koffler says that Putin very a lot believes in that notion whereas additionally believing that the USA feels the identical manner.

“They know it is not about who controls Ukraine in any respect,” Koffler stated. “It’s about who controls Eurasia and who controls the world. For this reason you see Putin preventing for his life, for survivability.”

Gutted vehicles following an evening air raid within the village of Bushiv, 40 kilometers west of Kyiv, Ukraine (AP Picture/Efrem Lukatsky) 
(AP Picture/Efrem Lukatsky)

One other issue to contemplate when discussing the stress Putin feels, Koffler says, is the present proximity of NATO forces to Russia’s massive cities. Koffler defined that in the course of the Chilly Warfare, the gap between St. Petersburg and NATO forces was roughly 1,000 miles. As we speak, that distance is roughly 100 miles.

“By Russian army calculations, they only cannot afford this kind of factor as a result of it is a army risk,” Koffler stated.

All of these points, Koffler says, recommend Putin feels trapped and can lash out in any manner he can as a way to get out of the proverbial nook which incorporates cyberattacks, satellite tv for pc disruption, bombing civilian areas, and utilizing his nuclear capabilities if “push involves shove.”

“He’ll run his troops into the bottom,” Koffler stated, including that he’ll “stage Kyiv” if he feels that’s “what he must do.”