Condoleezza Rice Warns of Putin’s Growing Desperation Amid Ukraine’s Strategic Strikes

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has expressed deep concern over a significant shift in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s behavior, describing him as increasingly “desperate” and “out of control” as Ukraine intensifies its counteroffensive.

In a recent interview on Fox & Friends, Rice highlighted Ukraine’s successful targeting of the Kerch Bridge—a critical link between Russia and Crimea—as a pivotal moment. She characterized the attack as “extraordinary,” emphasizing its symbolic and strategic implications. “It shows a couple of things,” Rice stated. “First, the changing nature of warfare, that you can do this with relatively cheap drones… against the Russian strategic air fleet, which has cost billions and billions of dollars. Secondly, it shows that the Ukrainians are very advanced in what they are doing in their defense industry with the building of these drones and an employment strategy for them.”

Rice also noted that the precision and scale of Ukraine’s recent operations suggest a high level of sophistication and possibly internal vulnerabilities within Russia’s defense systems. “It is an incredible intelligence coup,” she added. “Vladimir Putin is undoubtedly now wondering whether there was an inside job. You’re probably going to see a witch hunt in Russia as he tries to figure out who did this inside.”

Reflecting on Putin’s demeanor, Rice observed a stark transformation from the calculated leader she once engaged with. “He seems to be more out of control than he used to be,” she remarked. “He was always a very controlled figure. Don’t get me wrong, he was never a Jeffersonian Democrat. He was always an autocrat. He was always an imperialist, but there is something about him now that seems almost more desperate in wanting to extinguish Ukraine.”

Rice’s comments come amid reports of Ukraine executing “Operation Spider’s Web,” a series of coordinated drone strikes that have reportedly damaged key Russian military assets, including strategic bombers and surveillance planes across multiple airfields.

As the conflict continues, Rice’s insights underscore the evolving dynamics of the war and the potential implications of Putin’s increasingly erratic behavior on global stability.