Putin, Increasing Russian Nationalist Sentiments

Jack Murphy is an eight-year Army Special Operations veteran. At sofrep.com, Jack explains why Russians want prolonged war in Ukraine.

The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a perfect example of the sea of poor reporting, disinformation, and misinformation that exists in war zones. Through some of my contacts involved in the fighting on the Ukrainian side, I’ve derived a few observations. The war in general is severely under-reported in the Western media for reasons unknown. I guess ISIS is sexier than a war in Europe.

In a recent conversation, I asked a contact what the war was really about. Since this individual had done reporting from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides of the war, I knew he would have an interesting answer. He told me that Russia wants the war, but they don’t really want to take over Ukraine. Rather, Ukraine serves as a stratagem in Putin’s domestic political plays. Russia is seeking to secure their near abroad. Fearing NATO encirclement, Russia is simply acting in what they perceive to be their national interests.