Authors

Discussion

Russia’s war in Ukraine was supposed to be a quick victory, but it has already been continuing for almost four years. As such, it is worth considering why, despite the enormous human and economic costs as well as reputational losses, Russia is still continuing what was supposed to be a quick “special military operation”? This article aims to answer this question focusing on the narratives in three critical moments: the beginning of the invasion and Russia’s withdrawal from Kyiv; Ukraine’s successful counter-offensive in autumn 2022; and the Ukrainian army offensive in the Kursk region, which will demonstrate the evolution of the leadership mood and perceptions over the war. Using foreign policy analysis (FPA) approach, which aims to understand how foreign policy is shaped, I will look for similarities and differences in leaders' narratives accompanying these events, to identify the most important factors behind the continuation of the war despite several setbacks. The analysis shows that Putin's prioritization of the war and his conviction about Russia's success in the near or long term, together with important internal processes, to a large extent explains why the war has continued for almost four years.