"They'll hang me": Putin fears the war's end and is preparing an escalation, The Economist reports

Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to escalate the war against Ukraine in the near future, The Economist reports, citing sources close to the Kremlin. According to the magazine, the decision to intensify the conflict has already been made, though the specific form the escalation will take has not yet been determined.

The article was prompted by Putin's Saturday meeting with students in Moscow, during which the Russian president mused about the relationships between polar animals, claiming that orcas prey on polar bears — a claim with no scientific basis. "That's the food chain," Putin said, adding that "children need to study this to understand what kind of world we live in and why we're conducting a special military operation" — the term Russia still uses for its war against Ukraine.

What kind of escalation is being prepared

According to The Economist, this could mean intensifying the hybrid war against Europe and launching new acts of sabotage against Ukraine's supply routes. However, according to the magazine's sources, Putin does not want a direct confrontation with NATO.

Mobilizing several hundred thousand more troops is also reportedly being considered. Still, the magazine does not expect an open mobilization, as it could prove unpopular with Russian voters ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections. It's more likely that the Kremlin will pressure regional authorities to make up for personnel shortages on their own.

Putin had previously publicly promised a harsh response to Ukraine over attacks on the warehouses of Russian online retailers Wildberries and Ozon, accusing Kyiv of opening a "Pandora's box."

"They'll hang me"

According to The Economist, Putin is being pushed toward continuing the war by the very "gangster" nature of Russian politics: over four and a half years of conflict, he has failed to achieve a single one of the operation's basic objectives — including the full occupation of Donbas.

One of the magazine's sources claims that Putin believes ending the war under current conditions could cost him his life. "They'll hang me," the Kremlin chief allegedly told one of his close aides.

The magazine notes that pressure on Putin is mounting from within Russian elites — even business figures are beginning to complain that the war threatens their standing. Nevertheless, the magazine assesses that the president's position remains stable.

Nuclear weapons not ruled out either

The Economist's findings echo reports from other Western media. Last week, Bloomberg published similar information, according to which Russia is considering more intense strikes on Kyiv, including more frequent use of powerful ballistic missiles, as well as options for striking the very center of the Ukrainian capital.

Ukraine's air defenses are currently vulnerable to ballistic missiles due to a shortage of interceptors for Patriot systems — effectively the only weapon in Ukraine's arsenal capable of shooting them down.

According to Bloomberg, Moscow has stopped counting on a successful peace settlement, believing Russia has already made sufficient concessions and now has nothing left to gain, only to lose. Two of the agency's sources also said Putin might decide to break the taboo and use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine — an option being discussed with increasing frequency in Russia. Bloomberg stresses that there are currently no signs Moscow is actually preparing for such a scenario: Russia has previously been warned against such steps not only by the United States but also by its key ally, China.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz