
Putin's Ukraine aggression is a 'red meat' distraction for 'dissatisfied' Russian public, congressman says
Fox News
Rep. Jake Auchincloss told Fox News it's important to understand Russia's internal politics play a role in Putin's plans to invade Ukraine.
"He's trying to distract them with a red meat action against Ukraine, which is broadly popular with the Russian people who view at least part of Ukraine as really part of the ancestral Russian homeland," he added. "And so this needs to be understood as much through the lens of Russian domestic politics as it does through geopolitics."
One of the reasons Russians are increasingly frustrated with how their country is being run is its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In late 2021, it faced its worst coronavirus surge of the pandemic. Plus, the country's Sputnik V vaccine has faced significant struggles getting approved by international authorities.