Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu
When the Russia-Ukraine war entered a strategic stalemate and the outside world speculated about its prospects, the Russian authorities suddenly ordered the Russian occupying forces on Snake Island to evacuate.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement, "On June 30, as a gesture of goodwill, the Russian Armed Forces completed their mission on Snake Island and withdrew the troops stationed there."
Media in The word "goodwill" is emphasized when reporting on the Kremlin's new initiatives.
Those who are familiar with the entire process of the Russia-Ukraine war should know that when Moscow announced the end of the first phase of the "special military operation" mission and would "downgrade" the offensive situation in the Ukraine capital Kiev area, it made public The reason is also to cooperate with the negotiation consensus reached by both parties in Istanbul .
After that, the Russian army gave up its all-out offensive across Ukraine, especially in the north and the capital region, and instead focused on southeastern Ukraine, especially in eastern Ukraine. Russia emphasized that its second phase of the combat mission was to "liberate Donbass”.
However, when Russia had just captured the city of Severodonetsk and had not fully occupied the Donbass area, it suddenly announced the withdrawal of all troops from the key hub of Snake Island. This not only surprised the outside world, but also simply It's very abnormal.
You must know that Russia has spent a lot of effort to capture Snake Island. This island is of vital geostrategic significance to Russia.
On the surface, the Kremlin's voluntary abandonment is the same as the abandonment of the attack on the Kiev area in the first stage. It is out of "unilateral" and "goodwill", but the actual reason is largely due to the heavy weapons used by the West to aid Ukraine. -For example, the American Seamass rocket launcher is being deployed one after another, and it has launched a fierce counterattack on the Russian-occupied areas including Snake Island. Russia, which has gradually exhausted its troops and resources in this war, has difficulty in maintaining a steady flow of foreign aid. Ukraine maneuvered and defended strategic strongholds like Snake Island.
The withdrawal from Snake Island may reflect further changes in Moscow's strategic and tactical thinking as the war progresses.
At the time of the announcement of the withdrawal of troops from Snake Island, Russian President Putin was making his first foreign visit since the outbreak of the war - he arrived in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, in the name of attending the Caspian Sea coastal countries summit, and then visited Turkmenistan has launched a series of multilateral and bilateral talks.
Putin's visit comes against the backdrop of Russia's inability to achieve its war goals in Ukraine for four months and triggering unprecedented Western sanctions, restrictions and isolation that have battered Russia's economy and weakened its war effort capabilities and potential, even making foreign visits by the Kremlin inconvenient.
It can be said that Putin’s visit to Dushanbe is an attempt by the Kremlin to carry out diplomatic persuasion to countries within its own sphere of influence or influence under diplomatic desperation, and it is also an important step in “boosting its sense of presence” in an isolated diplomatic situation. Chance. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov found it difficult to even take a special plane through the airspace of neighboring countries under the constraints of Western sanctions.
Dushanbe is currently one of the few cities in Moscow that can be visited relatively freely.
Putin’s diplomatic move highlights that the Kremlin has no cards to play. He cannot even meet with the leaders of all the countries along the Caspian Sea. He only meets with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, the destination for the summit of leaders of the Caspian Sea countries. Azerbaijan and the President of Iran arranged a meeting.
They are manifestations of Moscow's diplomatic dilemma, and the Kremlin's strategic situation has worsened with the opening of the new G7 and NATO summits.
This year, the core mechanism of the West has sent a clear and strong signal that Moscow will not be allowed to destroy the world rules and order since the end of World War II , and is determined to unite to assist Ukraine against Russia and ensure that it obtains sufficient materials and resources to defeat Russia. Western allies have also stressed that they will make a concerted effort to further tighten the Kremlin's neck so that it cannot continue to gain the ability to support the war.
With a new series of Western Bloc meetings taking place, unprecedented transatlantic unity on the Russo-Ukrainian war being translated into action, and financial, material and arms aid pouring into Kiev, Moscow is making it clear Feeling that the pressure is getting stronger and it is unable to achieve its adjusted second-stage goals, it is stepping back and updating its strategies and tactics, including withdrawing troops from Snake Island, and will speed up the so-called third-stage tasks for its Create conditions for an honorable end to the war.
