Russia-Ukraine war: What is Putins end game? | In Focus

Published: March 8, 2022, 4:34 p.m.

After two years of the pandemic, just when people were hoping for a semblance of normalcy, the world has been rocked by a massive war that could have catastrophic effects way beyond the conflict zone and probably change the post-Cold War world order.\nOne question that just doesn\u2019t go away is: could this war have been avoided? What exactly is Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s game plan \u2013 why did he not stick to the path of diplomacy, instead of launching a full scale war? How will this war affect his position within Russia? And what is the thinking and mood in Russia at the moment? Does the sanctions regime portend Russia\u2019s decisive pivot to the East, away from Europe, with which it has a long, shared history?\nWe look for answers to these questions in this episode of In-Focus podcast.\nGuest: Danil Bochkov, strategic expert with the Russia International Affairs Council (RIAC), a Moscow-based think tank\nHost: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu\nEdited by Ranjani Srinivasan