Something different about Putin…Ukraine’s “too surprising operation” against Russian troops.

An unsteady gaze, fingers moving restlessly on the table.

The image of Russian President Vladimir Putin, 69, on television conveys his irritation. This may be because the situation in Ukraine is not progressing as expected.

Other countries are strengthening economic sanctions,” he said. They have decided to exclude major Russian banks from the international payments network SWIFT. Russia is on the verge of a massive depreciation of its domestic currency, the ruble, and hyperinflation. The invading Russian army is also facing an uphill battle. The capital city of Kiev, which was initially expected to fall in two days, has yet to be overrun. This is probably because the resistance of the Ukrainian military is more fierce than expected.

President Putin’s concerns are not limited to the rest of the world. Anti-war demonstrations have broken out in more than 60 cities in Russia, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. The number of signatures calling for anti-war on the Internet has reached nearly one million. Authorities have tightened restrictions and have restricted social networking communications since February 26. They have also imposed a fine of up to 5 million rubles (about 5.45 million yen) on media outlets that report on the situation in Ukraine using expressions such as ‘invasion’ and ‘attack.

It is no wonder that President Putin’s impatience is growing as a result of his internal and external troubles. Many are concerned about his mental state. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter.

I wish I could reveal more of the truth, but I can say one thing for sure right now. Something is wrong with President Putin.”

. increasing instability.”

Michael McFaul, who was Ambassador to Russia during Obama’s presidency, also pointed out the anomaly to the U.S. media.

President Putin is becoming more unstable,” McFaul told U.S. media. Perhaps his 20-year dictatorship has taken its toll on his state of mind.

What is frightening is that an impatient President Putin may push the “nuclear button”: on February 27, he ordered the transfer of deterrence, including nuclear missiles, to a “special regime. Professor Itsuro Nakamura of Tsukuba University, an expert on Russian affairs, previously sounded the alarm in an interview with “FRIDAY Digital.

Russia has also suggested the use of nuclear weapons. There is a danger that this could become the worst war in human history, surpassing World War II.

One of the factors that has prevented the situation from progressing as President Putin had hoped is the low morale of the Russian military. One thing that is working is a “surprise operation” by the Ukrainian authorities.

According to Ukrainian authorities, many Russian soldiers are poorly equipped and some have not even received proper training. Some of them were teenagers, they announced. The Ukrainian military treats captured Russian soldiers as politely as possible, giving them food and water. They sometimes speak kind words to frightened soldiers.

Furthermore, Ukraine is trying to thoroughly implement “Operation Dad and Mom (Operation Parents). They encourage Russian soldiers to call their parents back home. If they talk to their mothers and fathers in the war zone, they will tell them how hard the situation is and appeal to them to return home as soon as possible. It is no wonder that the soldiers are becoming more and more pessimistic about the war. The Ukrainian authorities have even created a special website where families can search for captured Russian soldiers.

While Russia has resorted to strong-arm tactics, Ukraine has shown understanding toward its enemy soldiers. The situation seems to be going more and more in a different direction from President Putin’s calculations.