The Putin Gambit



“Chess is above all, a fight!” 
Emanuel Lasker

Chess, the game of kings, where battlefields were once enlightened and empires dueled since ancient times. In chess there are many bold and aggressive moves that can change the pace of the game and surprise the opponent, but none like the gambit.


Gambit comes from the Italian phrase dare il gambetto which means to set a trap, this chess opening can be transposed to different situations, from everyday life to high politics where one of the players sacrifices something valuable at the beginning and positions himself with an advantage for the end, this Putin understands very well. 


Vladimir Putin, the most Russian of rulers, has recently issued a decree recognising the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, two regions which in recent years have been a breeding ground for much larger conflicts. These two regions, to which the world has attached great importance, especially since 2014, have been controlled in practice by pro-Russian groups. By doing so, Putin is provoking a rapid growth of nervousness and tension in the region and, going against all Western advice, is playing his own game and playing by his own rules. The independence of these regions enables them to ask for help from the Russian army in case of possible aggression by the Ukrainian army. 


This decree can serve as a kick-start for a future invasion of Kiev, as is evident from the statements of the Russian head of state, who fearlessly declared that "All responsibility will lie with the Kiev authorities", Putin said.


Now, NATO and the United States will not stand idly by in the face of such an offensive move by the Russians, but it will be interesting to see what their level of response will be. Putin here makes the first moves of his sacrifice, except from Biden a package of measures that will severely affect the Russian economy. Putin's decision is frowned upon by all Western states, in the words of Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki "an act of aggression against Ukraine, which must be met with an unequivocal response in the form of immediate sanctions".


It remains to be seen in the future what the response will be from the other major players on the chessboard. But for now Russia is taking the initiative and the world seems to be moving closer and closer to gunpowder than to peace. 



 

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