Putin Sees War With ‘Religious’ Zeal, Estonia Spy Chief Says

  • Mobilization to extend fighting into 2023, Estonian chief says
  • Mikk Marran says Putin exploiting Russian nuclear threat

Vladimir Putin

Photographer: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/AFP/Getty Images
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pursuing his war aims in Ukraine with a “religious” fervor and is unlikely to change course even as his eight-month invasion is beleaguered by setbacks, Estonia’s spy chief said.

Mikk Marran, Estonia’s outgoing espionage chief, said that the Baltic nation’s intelligence indicated that the Russian president isn’t having second thoughts about the conflict, despite the lack of strategic accomplishments and a firmer line from an expanded NATO.