Storm and Shadow Over Putin's Head

A feeling of dark irony arose from Putin’s brief, almost theatrical interview regarding the strikes of Western long-range missiles on Russian territory. The setting itself was symbolic: a literal gateway, an archway in a building complex where he sought shelter from possible airstrikes. Where is the once mighty ruler of Earth, the one Putin imagined himself to be in February 2022? Now, what stands before us is a small, frightened man, eyes filled with dread, awaiting the terrible fate that seems to inch closer by the day.

Answering a rehearsed question from a pro-government journalist, Putin talked about how flight missions for long-range missiles are prepared. In his view, Ukrainians are incapable of conducting such complex operations independently, implying that if strikes hit Russian soil with Western long-range missiles, NATO would be dragged into a direct confrontation with Russia. According to him, such involvement would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict.

Two things stand out from this moment. First is Putin’s deep-seated phobia of Ukraine and its people. He cannot stomach the idea that the Ukrainian military, the very force he expected to crush in days, is now winning and will eventually triumph over Russia’s battered army. In his narrative, even when Ukrainian regular army units are present in the Kursk region of Russia, he insists on calling them "militants," clinging to his delusions of superiority.

Secondly, Putin’s narrative crumbles under its own contradictions. He threatens NATO with dire consequences for missile strikes on Russian territory, yet conveniently ignores the fact that Ukrainians have been using Western missiles to hit Crimea, as well as the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Implicitly, he acknowledges a separation between "real" Russian territory and Ukrainian lands, which Russia has forcibly and falsely annexed into its constitution. In this admission, Putin reveals a crack in his own story.

While Putin warns of severe repercussions, Ukraine continues to fine-tune its list of targets on Russian soil. There are signs that permission to use long-range Western missiles may have already been granted to Ukraine, though this hasn’t been officially declared yet. Time will reveal these truths, but the winds are already shifting.

Let’s not forget the weight of Putin’s crimes. Russia has committed at least 137,000 documented war crimes against Ukraine and its people. Whether it’s storm, shadow, or both that loom over him now, one thing is clear - his responsibility is inescapable, and his reckoning is near.

Glory to Ukraine!