Investigative Journalist Roman Badanin Says Putin's War Aims Are Rooted in Domestic Power Preservation

Veteran Russian investigative journalist Roman Badanin has argued that Vladimir Putin's decision to wage war in Ukraine is fundamentally driven by a desire to maintain his grip on power within Russia itself, rather than by geopolitical ambition alone. Badanin made the assessment during an appearance on FRANCE 24's "Perspective" program, where he discussed the themes of his newly released book on the Russian leader.

The book, titled "Le Tsar en personne" in French — which translates roughly to "The Tsar in Person" — represents the culmination of more than two decades of reporting on Putin and his inner circle. Badanin, widely regarded as one of Russia's foremost investigative journalists, has built his career on scrutinizing the Kremlin's opaque decision-making and the networks of influence that surround the country's long-serving president.

According to Badanin, the war in Ukraine should be understood primarily through the lens of Putin's domestic political calculus. In his view, the Russian president is not pursuing a grand strategic vision on the international stage so much as he is seeking to extend his tenure and entrench his authority at home. That interpretation places domestic survival, rather than foreign conquest, at the center of the Kremlin's motivations.

Badanin characterized Putin's worldview in stark and visceral terms, describing the Russian leader as operating with the mentality of a gang member. In that framing, the guiding principle is retaliatory and escalatory: if challenged or struck, Putin's instinct is to respond with even greater force. This mindset, according to the journalist, helps explain the intensity and persistence of Russia's military campaign despite its significant costs.

Beyond the war itself, Badanin's book examines how Putin's mind works and what drives his decision-making. The journalist's decades of experience covering the Russian president lend weight to his conclusions, which draw on a deep familiarity with the Kremlin's internal dynamics and the patterns of behavior that have defined Putin's rule.

The French edition of the book has just been published, and a Russian-language version is also available. An English translation is expected to follow, broadening the reach of Badanin's analysis to audiences in the English-speaking world who follow Russian affairs closely.

The timing of the book's release places it within a broader international conversation about the trajectory of the war in Ukraine and the future of Putin's leadership. As the conflict continues, analysts and policymakers alike have sought to understand whether the Russian president's objectives are primarily territorial, ideological, or personal — a question that Badanin's work addresses directly.

Badanin's career has been defined by his willingness to investigate the highest levels of Russian power, a pursuit that carries considerable risk in the current political environment. His reputation as perhaps Russia's finest investigative journalist rests on years of rigorous reporting that has often challenged official narratives and exposed the mechanics of Kremlin control.

During the FRANCE 24 interview, Badanin did not limit his analysis to abstract political theory. Instead, he offered a portrait of a leader whose actions are shaped by a combative and personalistic approach to power, one in which perceived slights or challenges are met with disproportionate responses. That characterization aligns with a long-standing view among Putin observers who see retaliation as a central feature of his leadership style.

The journalist's argument that the Ukraine war serves Putin's domestic power interests also carries implications for how the conflict might evolve. If the war is indeed tied to Putin's political survival, then any resolution would need to account for his need to present the outcome as a victory or at least as a defensible outcome to domestic audiences. That dynamic could complicate diplomatic efforts to bring the fighting to an end.

Badanin's book adds to a growing body of literature that seeks to explain Putin's behavior through psychological and biographical analysis, rather than purely through the frameworks of international relations or security studies. By focusing on how the Russian leader's mind operates, the journalist joins a tradition of reporting that treats individual decision-makers as central to understanding major geopolitical events.

The appearance on "Perspective" was conducted by FRANCE 24 journalist Stuart Norval, who also produced the accompanying video segment. The program regularly features authors, analysts, and public figures discussing current affairs and their recent work, providing a platform for in-depth conversations about global issues.

For audiences in France and beyond, Badanin's conclusions offer a distinctive perspective on a conflict that has dominated international headlines for years. His assertion that Putin's primary aim is to prolong his own power in Russia reframes the war as a symptom of domestic political imperatives rather than a purely expansionist project.

The publication of "Le Tsar en personne" in French and Russian, with an English edition forthcoming, ensures that Badanin's analysis will reach a wide readership. As debate continues over the war's origins and its possible conclusions, his insights contribute a valuable voice to the effort to understand the motivations of one of the world's most consequential leaders.

Badanin's work ultimately invites readers to consider that the fate of the war in Ukraine may be inseparable from the question of Putin's hold on power at home — a connection that his decades of investigative reporting have positioned him uniquely to explore.