Samuel Charap, Khrystyna Holynska
R ussia’s war in Ukraine is Moscow’s most significant use of force outside its borders since World War II. Even in the early stages of its full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022, the operation entailed by far the largest commitment of ground forces in decades, and the scale of military resources devoted to the war has grown significantly since then. In short, the stakes for Russia could not be higher.
Despite these stakes, the Kremlin did not offer a coherent public narrative on the objectives of the operation. Often, goals were simply not articulated; when they were, vague concepts were used that allowed significant room for interpretation. Senior Russian leaders regularly made contradictory claims about the goals, often even contradicting themselves. It is true that statesmen often dissemble in public about what they hope to accomplish in foreign policy: In particular, Russian President Vladimir Putin is notorious for his untruths, particularly when denying his country’s violation of a commitment or norm. However, it is remarkable that the Russian leadership has not told either the public or the troops in clear terms what Moscow is trying to achieve in its most consequential use of force abroad in several generations.
Such confusion about objectives contradicts a core tenet of Russian strategy; namely, the necessity to link political goals and military action.
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