Putin’s Plan

Headline: “Leaked files detail Russia’s secretive effort to build attack drones.” Putin’s hold on power could become much more tenuous in the wake of continuing heavy Russian casualties. To avoid that eventuality, Putin’s strategy may be to mass produce attack drones to the degree that he can pummel Ukraine with drone attacks at a pace and for a duration of time such that the pain, with no prospect of relief, will become too much for Ukrainians to bear. Such a policy might soon look as if it would be successful, in which case the West will have to consider whether it would attempt to destroy drone factories deep inside Russia, risking the most dangerous escalation of the war to date.