Putin’s New Clothes: Sinking Fleets and the Kremlin’s Fear of Millions Who Want the War to End

Russian President Vladimir Putin showcased a missile cruiser in military dress Thursday, portraying himself as the wartime commander-in-chief of a nation engulfed in conflict. This marked a departure from Putin's customary civilian attire, which had been used to maintain the Kremlin's narrative of a limited "special military operation" separate from routine life.

The display underscored how the war has reshaped Russia's state, economy, and presidency, as Ukraine demonstrated the vulnerability of Russia's naval forces at sea, Western governments intensified pressure on Moscow's shadow fleet, and the Kremlin faced the domestic reality of dwindling public support for the war. The decision to appear in naval uniform came just a day after Ukraine launched a major assault on Novorossiysk, Russia's principal Black Sea naval base, which forced the Kremlin to relocate much of its fleet away from occupied Crimea.

Ukraine's attack on naval and port infrastructure led to the suspension of grain terminal operations, prompting the Russian government to declare a state of emergency. In response to Western sanctions and inspections targeting Russia's maritime network aiding the war effort, Putin warned of potential retaliation against "unfriendly" states.

The naval spectacle also comes as Russia's Supreme Court banned Yabloko, the sole registered opposition party openly opposing the war, from participating in the upcoming parliamentary election. Party leader Nikolai Rybakov stated that "millions" of Russians share Yabloko's viewpoint, a sentiment corroborated by a July Levada poll showing support for Russia's military actions falling to a four-year low of 66%.

While Putin's appearance in naval uniform does not definitively prove Russia has embraced "total war," it visually acknowledges that war now permeates the Russian state, economy, and presidency. By talking about Western ships, NATO's presence in Asia, and tensions with Japan, Putin can recast Russia's war in Ukraine as part of a broader global confrontation, shifting attention away from the central issue: more than four years into the invasion, Moscow has yet to achieve its original war objectives.

The civilian suit initially helped sell the idea that Russia could wage war without transforming into a wartime society. However, with Russian naval bases under Ukrainian attack, the oil fleet facing Western pressure, Pacific marines fighting in Ukraine, and an anti-war party barred from elections, the Kremlin is increasingly struggling to separate Putin's presidency from the war.