It became clear what was behind Putin’s unexpected visit to Ukraine

According to ISW’s daily report, there are several reasons behind Russian President Vladimir Putin’s current visit to the Ukrainian territories, including the upcoming Ukrainian offensive plays a role, as does compliance with domestic public opinion.

By the way, the analysts managed to establish several things about the published recordings: on the one hand, the recording was made a few days ago – In a longer version, Putin mentions the “coming Easter”, that is, the recording could have been made before April 16. On the other hand, various OSINT branches accurately identified the coordinates of the locations described as the headquarters in the video with the help of characteristic landmarks.

The analysis of the American research institute states the following about the visit:

• Vladimir Putin wanted to reinforce the image of him as a “war leader”.: Russian milbloggers constantly criticize high-ranking Russian officials for not visiting the Russian-Ukrainian war theater as often and boldly as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, Putin’s recent visit was celebrated and claimed to have a beneficial effect on the morale of Russian soldiers
• Vladimir Putin’s visit also served the purpose of publicly identify the scapegoats responsible for possible Russian failure and withdrawal. The Russian president is on the recordings From Colonel General Mikhail Teplinskyfrom the commander of the Dnieper force group, From Colonel General Oleg Makarevic and From Colonel General Aleksandr Lapin listened to reports. According to analysts, Putin probably deliberately singled out Teplinskyi and Makarevych as the commanders responsible for southern Ukraine, and Lapin as the commander overseeing the Luhansk direction.
• Putin’s demonstrative meetings with Teplinsky, Makarevich and Lapin are likely to confirm another change in the military leadership and possibly in the inner circles of the Kremlin. Army General Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu did not participate in Putin’s talks in occupied Ukraine. According to the ISW report, this is another indication that Teplinsky and Lapin may have returned to the battlefield, possibly against the will of Gerasimov and Shoigu.

The cover image is an illustration. Cover image credit: Contributor/Getty Images