Moscow casts Ukraine fight as NATO war after battlefield setbacks
Russian officials are blaming Western backing for the war’s course as analysts say Moscow’s territorial claims do not match battlefield data.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
4 min read
Russian officials are increasingly presenting the invasion of Ukraine as a wider confrontation with NATO, according to Al Jazeera, as Moscow faces Ukrainian strikes, economic strain and limited battlefield gains. The shift matters because Ukrainian and Kyiv-based analysts told Al Jazeera it could help the Kremlin explain a war that has lasted far longer than Moscow first suggested.
Al Jazeera reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared in military fatigues in a televised meeting with Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russia’s General Staff, who accused Ukraine of trying to persuade its Western backers that it had gained the initiative. Putin told Gerasimov to keep assessing each Western country’s role in the conflict, saying that analysis may be needed for future decisions.
Putin also claimed Russian forces had fully taken Kostiantynivka, a contested city in eastern Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported. The outlet said Ukrainian forces still hold parts of the city, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged Putin to meet him there to seek a diplomatic end to the war.
Putin said Russia had captured more than 3,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory this year, describing it as Russian land, according to Al Jazeera. The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, said verified geolocated data showed Russian gains between January and July amounted to 97 square kilometres, as front lines shifted and Ukraine counterattacked.
The Institute for the Study of War said Putin was promoting a version of events that rejects tactical and operational developments on the battlefield. It said his control of Russia’s information space helps sustain claims of military success.
Al Jazeera reported that Russian announcements about taking towns and villages can depend on troops reaching a landmark and photographing a Russian flag there. Andriy, a Ukrainian serviceman identified by first name under wartime protocol, told Al Jazeera that such soldiers often do not return after those missions.
Analysts point to mobilisation pressure
Lt. Gen. Ihor Romanenko, a former deputy head of Ukraine’s general staff, told Al Jazeera the Kremlin wants Russians to see the conflict as a war against NATO rather than a failed short campaign against Ukraine. He said the message helps justify why Russia’s “special military operation” has continued into a fifth year.
Romanenko told Al Jazeera that Russia is likely to keep up attacks and conduct at least a partial mobilisation after parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18-20. Al Jazeera reported that Putin announced a partial mobilisation in September 2022, though Russia has since relied heavily on sign-up bonuses for volunteers and pressure on migrants to enlist.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov used the term “war” in televised remarks, Al Jazeera reported, saying the conflict began as a special military operation but now continues as a war because countries including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States stand behind Kyiv. Al Jazeera noted that Russians have previously been fined, arrested and jailed for using the word “war” to describe the invasion.
Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based Penta think tank, told Al Jazeera that Moscow uses the NATO framing when it faces front-line problems, Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, problems in Crimea and a fuel crisis. He said Russian officials avoid crediting Ukraine’s improved military performance and instead tell domestic audiences they are fighting the collective West.
Moscow repeats NATO integration claims
Al Jazeera reported that Russian officials continue to accuse NATO of integrating Ukraine into the alliance and increasing the risk of direct war with Russia. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on June 29 that NATO was providing Ukraine with advanced AI-driven weapons to hit Russian airfields, according to Al Jazeera.
Zakharova also claimed Kyiv was trying to pull NATO into direct conflict with Russia to rescue its battlefield position, Al Jazeera reported. Ihor, a Ukrainian drone operator on leave from eastern Ukraine, told Al Jazeera that Russian officials make such claims to avoid admitting that Ukrainian forces are responsible for successes against Russia.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.