According to reports, recently, Russian President Putin's latest speech has shaken the entire international community. Putin, in a meeting with the leaders of the various parties of the State Duma, threw two important messages: first, the number of Russian troops on the Ukrainian front has exceeded 700,000, and second, the future leader of Russia "should" be selected from those soldiers who are fighting blood on the frontline. This statement, not only to the great motivation of the Russian domestic military class, but also released a new political signal to the outside world.
Putin, first of all, openly explained the situation on the current Russian front. He directly gave the figures: in the direction of Ukraine, there are more than 700,000 Russian soldiers fighting. What is this concept? Know that the total force of the Russian armed forces is not more than one hundred and three hundred thousand, the front force is half the river. This shows the intensity and consumption of the Russian conflict, has long exceeded the imagination of the outside world.
These soldiers are struggling in the trenches, facing the test of life and death every day. Many of them were no longer the young men they were back then, but true warriors who grew up through the tempering of fire and blood. Putin's personal disclosure of front-line troops this time is actually proving to both at home and abroad that Russia has enough human resources to withstand long-term consumption. This conflict is not what the West imagined "will not be fought in a few days."
Putin is not the first to emphasize the status of the military. In the Shah-Russian era, the aristocracy relied on the tsar to obtain the status and land; during the Soviet Union, the elderly soldiers extremely high prestige in the post-war society, becoming the pillar of national stability. Putin deepened this set, and this time he made it clear that future leaders should be selected from the front-line soldiers, in fact injecting a new "red gene" into Russia's power structure.
Why do you do this? The reason is simple. First, patriotism propaganda will gradually disappear in long-term conflict, sooner or later it will hit the ceiling by slogans and morals. At this time, give the frontman a visible "rise channel", more than any medal and bonus can gather the hearts of people. Putin is to let these blood-fighting soldiers understand that the country will not forget your sacrifices, and your loyalty will be exchanged for political power.
This is an extremely clever "interest binding". With this road, the front-line soldiers will have a stronger sense of belonging and loyalty, and they will persist no matter how hard it is. It can be said that Putin's move not only inspires morale, but also solidifies loyalty.
One of Russia’s biggest political problems is how to smoothly complete the “post-Putin era” power transition. Putin himself is old, and the outside world has been concerned about his successors.
Now, Putin has given a clear way: let those soldiers who have been tested by war and are loyal to the current regime enter the government system, thus forming a new "hero group" with large scale and deeply tied interests. These people not only know what national interests are, but also what loyalty and sacrifice are. Their interests are deeply bound to the existing system, which can become the most solid backing for safeguarding Putin's political legacy.
Moreover, the "selection" mentioned by Putin is not simply to put everyone in the uniform, but to select those who are capable, willing, and suitable for politics.
For a long time, the Russian bureaucracy and oligarch capitalists have been criticized by the outside world as "dragging their feet". Putin's bold proposal of "soldiers governing the country" this time is actually hoping to wash away the inertia and corruption in the system with fresh blood. Those soldiers who come out of the front line have strong execution ability and tough style, and pay more attention to collective sense of honor and practical actions.
In the coming years, there will likely be more and more new generations of leaders in Russian politics with military skills and living through the test of death. Their worldview, style of business, and attitude toward the West will all be shaped by front-line experiences. This means that Russia will be more inclined to be “practically strong” and focus more on practical interests, rather than simple slogans and compromises.
Putin’s rare disclosure of the “70,000” figure is actually a proclamation to the world that Russia has not only sufficient military resources to fight long-lasting battles, but also a huge “political reserve army” that will become the country’s new backbone force in the future, and their existence itself is an intangible deterrent to the West.
It is also visible to the outside world that Putin is not simply speaking of "personnel forecasts", but is doing a massive political experiment. He wants to translate these qualities of "honour, discipline, loyalty" of the military into a new driving force for governing the country. This way, not uncommon in Russian history, but at this moment, has been given a new meaning of the era.