Shifting goals, unclear timelines and a flimsy pretext: at times, the US-Israel campaign against Iran carries curious parallels of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. In Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Kremlin has also repeatedly shifted its stated objectives. When Putin launched the invasion in February 2022, he said the goal was the “demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine – language widely interpreted as a push for regime change in Kyiv. Throughout his own war, Putin used strikingly similar language. Four years into its invasion, Putin still avoids the term “war”, insisting on calling the invasion a “special military operation” – language enforced at home through strict censorship laws that have sent critics to jail.

Source: The Guardian March 10, 2026 19:40 UTC