Kathrine Frich
Pressure inside the Kremlin is shaping Russia’s actions more than official statements suggest.
A senior Ukrainian official says fear, not strategy, is increasingly driving Moscow’s choices.
Hostage to ideology
Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, says Russian President Vladimir Putin has become trapped by the expectations of hardline ultranationalists.
In comments reported by LA.LV, Podoliak argued that Putin is no longer acting freely, but is constrained by the most aggressive segments of Russian society who fully support the war.
According to Podoliak, this internal pressure helps explain recent Russian decisions that appear to contradict diplomatic signals.
Revenge motive
Podoliak said one reason Russia violated the ceasefire was anger directed at US President Donald Trump.
He claimed the Kremlin was responding to Washington’s actions against Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, which Trump’s administration has begun seizing.
The move, Podoliak suggested, was interpreted in Moscow as a direct challenge requiring retaliation rather than restraint.
Fear at home
The second and more decisive factor, Podoliak said, is Putin’s fear of domestic backlash from pro-war audiences.
Speaking in an interview with Channel 24 on YouTube, he described how Russian media and online spaces fuel extreme expectations of violence.
“We see how Russian propaganda works, what discussions take place on Russian websites, TV channels, and communities that create the so-called Russian world narratives,” Podoliak said.
Calls for destruction
Podoliak said these voices frame the war in historical and ideological terms, openly advocating strikes on civilian infrastructure.
“How can we not strike if the climatic conditions allow us to inflict maximum destructive blows on civilian infrastructure and civilians?” he quoted from such discussions.
He added that propaganda rhetoric often dismisses humanitarian concerns entirely, pushing for attacks even in freezing winter conditions.
Afraid of ultrapatriots
“If a house is destroyed a person is left on the street at -24 degrees with nothing,” Podoliak said, describing the consequences ignored by hardliners.
Podoliak concluded:
“This is another factor that shows that Putin is very afraid of these internal ultra-patriots, and he is responding to their calls, which essentially means carrying out the most powerful attacks on Ukraine.”
Sources: LA.LV, Channel 24
