While Russia has consistently denied since 2014 that its forces have fought on Ukrainian soil, the Kremlin no longer seems to feel the need to camouflage its hostile actions, said retired Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army Europe.
The world would most likely see a full display of Russian military power if Putin commits to a new campaign in Ukraine, Hodges said.
“I think the risk of this is going up very quickly and that the Kremlin is operating at a much higher than normal risk-tolerance level because they really haven’t been stopped before, since their invasion of Georgia in 2008, and so far, we don’t look strongly unified or resolute with our allies,” Hodges said. “The language coming out of the Kremlin is most alarming. Putin talks about genocide in the Donbass [Donets Basin]; one of his senior deputies talks about perhaps needing to bring nukes into Belarus; constant references about NATO’s threatening behavior towards Russia, and today a reference by Defense Minister Shoigu about U.S. private military contractors planning to bring in chemicals for use in the Donbass. He is preparing his own population and setting the pretext for ‘we had no other choice.’”