Vladimir Putin shows that he feels the strain of war when he is seen wringing his hands in a meeting with his most sensible officials.
The 71-year-old dictator is participating in a Security Council consultation on the crisis he faces due to Ukraine’s dramatic invasion of border areas in the Kursk region.
His very public concerns and agitation came when he recounted earlier this week how Russia had lost territories and, at the time, more than two dozen colonies, a much larger number today.
His deputy prime minister, Denis Manturov, explained that in the areas of the Kursk region lost to Ukraine, 2,000 more people and 840 nurses were missing.
He also received grim news reporting a dozen civilians dead and 121 wounded, as well as 10 children. These non-verbal gestures usually reflect anxiety, tension or indecision.
Possibly they would show that the dictator is facing internal conflict and a lack of confidence, or that he feels fear or insecurity. Possibly he would be seeking to calm himself in an act of self-consolation. Putin is more noticeable clinging tightly to a table. with one hand, which can also be a reflection of tension and anxiety. It is unusual for Putin to squeeze his hands in that way.
“During the meeting, Putin showed facial movements, appearing on several occasions to bite his lip, seeming exasperated by what his officials were saying to him.
“The assembly on Monday took Putin’s position dealing with the consequences of his nearly two-and-a-half-year war with Ukraine, which he said was aimed at ensuring Russia’s security. Instead, it made little progress in its goal of invading more Ukrainian territory and, in doing so, lost thousands of infantrymen in its war.
“Now it has also begun to waste Russian territory, as Ukraine has discovered the weak point of its defenses, making it look like a loser in the eyes of other people in its country. And unwavering propaganda experts had begun to question Putin.
Karen Shakhnazarov, head of Mosfilm Studios and a well-known Russian director, told state television: “If there are other mistakes like [Ukraine’s attack on Russia], we can lose [the war].
“And this is not defeatism. And this is not scaremongering. It is simply an absolute understanding of the value that we and ours will have to pay.
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