Russian president Vladimir Putin is resorting to extreme tactics because his “back is against the wall,” according to Joe Biden, including using hypersonic missiles in Ukraine.
The missiles, whose high velocity make them extremely difficult to intercept, were used to destroy a weapons depot in Ukraine on Friday.
“Putin’s back is against the wall,” Mr Biden said in remarks on Monday. “He wasn’t anticipating the extent or strength of our unity. And the more his back is against the wall, the greater severity, the tactics he may employ.”
In addition to the high-powered missiles, the president warned that the Russia military might deploy cyber-attacks—including against the US.
“One of the tools he’s most likely to use in my view, in our view, is cyberattacks,” Mr Biden added. “The magnitude of Russia’s cyber capacity is fairly consequential and it’s coming.”
Russian forces were initially arrayed for a high-speed blitz through the country, aimed at quickly conquering the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, but they have encountered stiff resistance from the Ukrainian military and civilian volunteers, backed by a flood of international arms aid to the country.
The Russian advance has “largely stalled on all fronts,” the UK’s Defence Intelligence agency said last week. More than 7,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion began, nearly three times the numbers of Americans killed during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Instead of rapidly conquering the country, Russia has instead begun a campaign of brutally shelling cities across Ukraine.
On Monday, Ukraine rejected an offer to surrender the besieged port city of Mariupol.
In addition to the stalled military effort, Russia is facing devastating economic consequences at home, following sweeping sanctions from the US and others.
Russian companies that rely on imported components, like automaker Lada, have already seen production go idle, while the ruble has “fall through the floor,” according to Jeff Schott of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
“”Interest rates are high,” he told The Washington Post. “Inflation is soaring. Imported goods are basically hard to find and are not being restocked because nobody is selling to Russia for fear that they will not get paid — or only paid in rubles.”
Countries like the US have also announced a ban on imports from Russia’s oil fields, a major part of the Russian economy and national budget.
