MOSCOW, July 13 — The Kremlin has offered no public comment today on the latest developments surrounding President Vladimir Putin, as the Russian leader continues to navigate the third year of his full-scale war in Ukraine. According to the official record, Putin, who has been President of Russia since May 7, 2012, and previously served from 2000 to 2008, ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
That decision reshaped the geopolitical landscape of Europe and triggered the most severe confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War. The conflict, now in its third year, shows no signs of abating.
A Leader Forged in the Soviet System
Putin, born October 7, 1952, in Leningrad, graduated with a law degree from Leningrad State University before entering state service. Officials confirmed his career path included a posting as a KGB officer in East Germany from 1985 to 1990. That experience in the dying days of the Soviet satellite system is widely understood to have shaped his worldview — a conviction that great powers operate by strength, not by law.
His return to the presidency in 2012, after a stint as prime minister, marked a shift toward increasingly assertive foreign policy. The record shows that under his leadership, Russia has faced a growing number of drone attacks on its own territory.
One such incident occurred on March 1, 2025, when a strike hit Stavropol Krai, a region in southern Russia that had largely been spared the direct consequences of the war.
The Nuclear Shadow
Putin has threatened retaliation, including the use of nuclear weapons, though according to the available record, no such escalation has occurred. Those threats have been a recurring feature of his public statements since the invasion began, part of a deliberate strategy of strategic ambiguity aimed at deterring direct NATO intervention. Western analysts have parsed each such statement for signs of concrete preparation.
To date, the intelligence assessments have concluded that while Russia maintains a large nuclear arsenal and conducts regular readiness drills, there is no evidence of imminent employment. The threshold for nuclear use, as outlined in Russian military doctrine, remains officially tied to an existential threat to the state.
Domestic Standing
Inside Russia, the picture of public opinion is contested. According to state polls, Putin’s approval rating remains above 80 percent. Independent surveys, however, suggest lower figures.
The disparity reflects the Kremlin’s tight control over the information space, including the closure of independent media outlets and the criminalization of dissent since the war began. The war has brought economic strain, including inflation and labor shortages driven by mobilization and emigration.
Yet the regime has also benefited from rising energy revenues in certain periods and a rally-around-the-flag effect that typically accompanies major conflict. Putin’s longevity in power — now more than two decades in total — has no modern parallel in Russian history outside the Soviet era. He has outlasted multiple U.S. presidents, European leaders, and a generation of domestic political rivals.
What to Watch Next
The coming months are expected to test the durability of Russia’s war economy and the cohesion of its political elite. Drone strikes on Russian territory, once unthinkable, have become a periodic occurrence. The Stavropol attack in March 2025 demonstrated that no region is fully insulated from the war’s reach.
Western capitals continue to monitor Putin’s nuclear rhetoric closely, even as they calibrate their own military aid to Ukraine. The U.S. administration has maintained a policy of support for Kyiv while pressing European allies to increase their own defense spending.
Whether the conflict enters a new phase of negotiation or further escalation remains the central strategic question. For now, the record shows a Russian president who has staked his legacy on a war that has already lasted longer than any of his previous military campaigns — and who shows no public inclination to stop.
