Putin says war in Ukraine taking longer than expected

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that the war in Ukraine has been going on longer than he expected, but that the war has succeeded in taking new territory. He did not, however, say he would stop the war. He delivered the comments in a televised meeting in Russia with members of his Human Rights Council. When a member of the council questioned him on nuclear policy, Putin refused to rule out a first strike, noting that Russia’s nuclear doctrine was based on the so-called “launch on warning” concept of using a nuclear weapon in the face of an imminent nuclear attack. He said he would use nuclear weapons as a deterrent against attacks by Western countries, and not as a method of escalating conflict.

Have there been any new developments in the war?  Drones have struck multiple locations in Russia this week. Two military targets fell victim to drone strikes on Monday, and Russian officials reported on Tuesday that another drone strike ignited a fire at an airport. Russia said Monday’s attacks killed three servicemen and damaged two airplanes. Ukraine said the attacks would likely hamper Russia’s air capabilities but has not claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Dig deeper: Read Evgeny Kosykh’s report in WORLD Magazine about dissidents in Russia speaking out against the government despite vicious crackdowns.