Russia expert: Putin 'cornered like a rat' and will do whatever necessary to lash out

Fox News

A former U.S. intelligence officer told Fox News Digital that Russian President Vladimir Putin was cornered like a rat as his Ukrainian invasion continued into its third week.

Rebekah Koffler, a former U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency agent and author of Putin's Playbook: Russia's Secret Plan to Defeat America, told Fox News Digital on Saturday that an excerpt from Putin.

No-FLY ZONE IN UKRAINE IS WORTH THE RISKS.

Putin wrote in his book that one day he grabbed a stick and chased a large rat into a corner after having to traverse several rat-ridden floors to get to his childhood apartment. The future Russian president was forced to flee when the rat attacked him when he realized he was trapped.

Koffler said that the childhood story about the rat and other stories Putin has approved to be told about his personal life are a conscious effort to convey to the West that he will always strike back when trapped.

Koffler told Fox News that he wants people to know that he will fight when cornered.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to female flight attendants in comments broadcast on state television on Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Image: Reuters Video) <span class="copyright — Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to female flight attendants in comments broadcast on state television on Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Image: Reuters Video) Reuters Video

Zelenskyy wants Russia to let them come.

Putin is quoted as saying that as a child he had to fight to the finish line in every fight, and that you need to assume that.

According to Koffler, Putin's dilemma began when he underestimated the Ukrainian people's will to fight and the role technology would play in bringing the images of destruction.

He miscalculated and now he feels trapped because he has to execute this operation to reach his goal.

Koffler said that Putin was frightened by the fall of Libya and Iraq and worried that he might be next.

The Russian leader sees the fight with Ukraine as a fight for the survival of his country, which is why he is feeling the pressure regardless of any short term victories.

In his book, "The Grand Chessboard", Zbigniew Brzezinski writes that Putin believes in the idea that he controls the world while also believing that the United States feels the same.

Koffler said that it was not about who controls Ukraine, but who controls the world. This is why you see Putin fighting for his life.

Koffler says that the current proximity of NATO forces to Russia's large cities is a factor to consider when discussing the pressure Putin feels. During the Cold War, the distance between NATO and St. Petersburg was 1,000 miles. The distance is 100 miles today.

By Russian military calculations, they just can't afford this sort of thing because it's a military threat.

According to Koffler, all of those issues suggest that Putin feels trapped and will lash out in any way he can in order to get out of the corner which includes cyberattacks, satellite disruption, bombing civilian areas, and using his nuclear capabilities if push comes to shove.

Koffler said that he will run his troops into the ground if he feels that is what he needs to do.

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