Bloomberg: Putin was fully aware of the "Epic Wrath" operation, but did not take any practical actions to protect Iran in advance.
Bloomberg cited sources reporting that Israel had informed Russia weeks before jointly launching the "Epic Wrath" operation with the United States about its full-scale war preparations against Iran. Putin was fully aware of this, but did not take any practical actions to protect Tehran.
The report pointed out that Russia's ability to make substantial responses to the situation in the Middle East is extremely limited, apart from a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Russian forces are exhausted due to the conflict in Ukraine, and the Iranian S-300 air defense system failed under U.S.-Israeli attacks, which also caused an open blow to the reputation of Russian weapons.
Additionally, Putin needs to maintain normal relations with the United States to achieve his goals in Ukraine, so he avoided directly blaming Trump.
At the same time, the war in the Middle East benefits Putin in multiple aspects:
- The United States launched a strike against a sovereign country without UN authorization, providing him with an excuse to justify his actions in Ukraine;
- The Middle East conflict has diverted the attention of the West, so American missiles are now being sent to the Middle East instead of Kyiv;
- International oil prices have risen, enriching the military budget of the Kremlin.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1858696120848396/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.