Gas pipelines attacked? In any case, two underwater explosions were recorded before the Nord Stream leaks linking Russia and Germany. For kyiv, it is a terrorist attack planned by Russia. On the set of QR l’actu Nina Bachkatov, a doctor in political science at ULiège and a specialist in Russia, does not believe that this action was led by Russia. “It’s a part of the world that is extremely controlled by NATO. I was also very struck to see the American Secretary of State very embarrassed. In my view, war takes on the dimension of a hybrid conflict, that is to say one that goes beyond conventional means. This action is very technical in a highly monitored area and it undermines overall security.”
Referendum, what consequences?
The Russian Election Commission claimed that the “oui“won between 97 and 98% of the vote. Des “referendums” who must decide whether the occupied Ukrainian territories should be annexed to Russia. A “yes” which is obviously not a surprise and that could allow Vladimir Putin to prolong the conflict to hear Nina Bashkatov. “Nobody can believe the results and the improvisation of a referendum of this type which amounts to having the annexation of the territories accepted by a paralegal process. I think that a link must be made between this referendum and the mobilization of the reservists . There must be a desire to prolong the war”.
Nuclear threats?
Moscow has once again brandished the threat of nuclear weapons to defend these territories. Should these threats be taken seriously? For this Russia specialist, the threat is credible enough for the Americans to take it seriously. Nevertheless, for Nina Bachkatov, we are still in a deterrence phase. “What is worrying about Vladimir Putin’s statements, however, is that he spoke of any other means.”
What about the Russian mobilization?
Putin announced a few days ago the mobilization of nearly 300,000 reservists and for Nina Bachkatov, this is a clear signal that Russia is preparing for a long war. But we can see that this mobilization operation is really improvised and this causes flight movements and protests. “We will have to see what will happen if Putin is faced with real protests and revolts in the recruitment centers”.