Mainstream media has been reporting that the recent pullback by Russia from the Kiev sector is proof that Russia is on the retreat. Nothing can be further from the truth.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has multiple aims and not all of them are connected to defeating Ukraine on the battlefield. We see this most clearly connected to the siege on Kiev. While the media has been focusing on the siege of Kiev as being the primary theatre – Putin has been using it as a distraction in order to consolidate his forces in the East. Now that Mariupol fell, Putin has begun to move his troops out of the Kiev cordon and to the Donbas.
Putin has two goals. The first is territorial, which involves Russia finishing taking the rest of the Donbas and then if possible cut off the entirety of the Ukrainian army that is in the East and then capture the territory all the up to Dnieper river – essentially splitting the country in half.
The second goal, is a complete revolution in the global monetary system.
What Is Really Going On?
Putin’s real goals in the present conflict have always had a deeper aspect. Despite what has appeared to be heavy losses, the Russian army’s presence around Kiev triggered extreme sanctions on Russia. Despite the initial financial shock, the ruble has recovered and recovered in a big way.
It is well known that the EU’s reliance on Russian oil and gas has given Putin the ability to able to use it as a direct weapon against Western Europe. Putin’s recent order to link the ruble to gold as well as demanding that all payments for gas or oil be made in rubles, gives Europe and others little wiggle room in deciding how to proceed.
If Europe says no to the ruble, the gas and oil will stop flowing. If they agree to pay in rubles, then America’s hegemonic control over the world financial and energy sectors will fall – due to the destruction of the petrodollar.
This appears to be the primary goal of the war and Putin’s recent moves show that he is ready to checkmate the USA, ultimately recalibrating the international order.