ISW: Putin preparing Russians for protracted war

Russian President Vladimir Putin is setting the conditions for a prolonged war in Ukraine, Report informs, citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

According to analysts, he is already openly preparing the Russians for the fact that a "special operation" in Ukraine can be a "long process", and obtaining a new territory is a significant result for Russia.

ISW analysts also noted Putin's remarks during a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (CHR), when he compared himself to the Russian Tsar Peter I and spoke openly about territorial achievements.

This recourse to Russian imperial history clearly describes Putin's current goals in Ukraine as overtly imperialist and still maximalist, the ISW report says.

It notes that Putin is making Russian domestic audiences anticipate a protracted, debilitating war in Ukraine, which continues to seek the conquest of additional Ukrainian territories.