By: Zahid Jadwat

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second week and the humanitarian catastrophe escalates, an expert says Russia is seeking to strengthen its reputation as a powerful nation.

Dr. Rashid Abbasi, a conflict researcher with a specific interest in Russian Studies and Eastern Europe, has been studying the conflict in Ukraine since its inception in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea.

“Russia wants to create an imagery of a powerful nation. Everyone saw the footage of planes flying over Ukrainian territory and soldiers walking by foot. Russia wants to show the world its dominance and wants to assert its influence,” he said.

Abbasi explained that psychological warfare is an important aspect of the Ukraine crisis, adding that “the war has not reached the level it can reach because Russia has nuclear powers”.

“It can go to [a] World War III situation”, he warned, citing Russia’s nuclear arms which President Vladimir Putin has placed on “high alert”.

Despite his close monitoring and research in the build-up to the invasion, Abbasi said “no expert has predicted this level of war” and said the invasion caught him by surprise.

He said: “Experts were thinking war is declining. I was expecting it will rise and go down, but nobody was expecting a full-scale invasion, so I was surprised.”

“Putin is the only decision-maker [in Russia] and nobody can predict what is going on in his mind,” he said.

Talks between the two countries have yielded no positive outcome. Meanwhile, the West continues to isolate Russia, with sanctions being placed on high-ranking individuals and companies.

Abbasi believes the first step to de-escalation would be to dismiss the idea of Ukraine becoming a member of NATO.

Listen to the full interview here: