In 2014, John McCain, R-Arizona, was warning about the probability of Russian President Vladimir Putin's hostility before it became a daily news issue.
In late December 2022 and early January 2023, individuals on social media posted videos of an interview McCain gave in 2014 in which he warned of Putin's expansionist goal, well before Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022.
Sen. John McCain's Prediction
McCain, who passed away in 2018, granted an interview to the BBC program HARDtalk in 2014. Years later, his views were prophetic in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which led to a lengthy conflict.
Per Snope, McCain predicted in the interview that Putin's approach will involve the separation of eastern Ukraine from the rest of the nation "and maybe a land bridge to Crimea."
Back in 2014, John McCain fully predicted Putin's next moves.
— Maksym Borodin (@adnashmyash) December 26, 2022
"Not to provoke Putin is to show weakness, which will 100% provoke Putin"
"A developing and democratic Ukraine is a threat to Putin's power"
"He will try to cut more Ukraine and then Baltics" pic.twitter.com/CyOXLvZl1Y
McCain also chastised the United States for not providing Ukraine with arms and information at the time "We refrained from doing so because we did not wish to, quote, irritate Vladimir Putin. By displaying a lack of strength, we enrage Vladimir Putin."
The late senator stated that he was not shocked that Europe did not support Ukraine due to Europe's reliance on Russian energy, but he was unhappy that the United States did not. He also suggested that Putin desired to recreate the Russian empire by extending into Ukraine and seizing the Baltic states "if he can get away with it."
In 2023, it may seem like ancient history. However, at the time McCain conducted the BBC interview, concerns about Russia were not at the forefront of the American public's mind. Only big news events, such as Russia's meddling in the 2016 US election and its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, elevated the problem to a daily concern.
McCain was critical of the US's handling of the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, following Moscow's claim that a disputed 2014 referendum had cemented Crimea's Russian status.
McCain said to CBS in 2015, "I'm ashamed of my country" while urging then-President Barack Obama to send additional weaponry to Ukraine, Newsweek reported.
While not committing US troops on the ground, the administration of President Joe Biden is the largest international donor of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine against Russian aggression, providing approximately $50 billion in assistance, including weapons systems that have made a significant difference for Kyiv's forces.
McCain answered that Putin wants a "Novorossiya" or "New Russia" in regard to some portions of Ukraine when questioned that he had never indicated he wanted the east of Ukraine to be absorbed into Russian sovereignty.
This demonstrated that "he intends to recover Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, and if he can get away with it, Moldova and the Baltic states as well."
The foresight of the BBC video, which has more than 1.1 million views as of Tuesday morning, was hailed by social media users.
"John McCain accurately foresaw Putin's next steps in 2014," tweeted Maksym Borodin. Paul Massaro, the senior policy advisor at the US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, tweeted, "John McCain got it."
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Russia-Ukraine War Update
Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin dispatched a ship equipped with hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles to the Atlantic Ocean. Putin stated in a video conference with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the frigate's captain, Igor Krokhmal, that the vessel was equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles.
Russia, China, and the United States are competing to develop hypersonic weapons, which are considered to provide an advantage because of their speed and maneuverability, as per The Independent. According to the UK Ministry of Defense, Russia's "unprofessional procedures" have contributed to its high death toll during President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement, "The Russian military has a history of dangerous munitions storage that predates the present war, but this incident demonstrates how unprofessional behaviors contribute to Russia's high mortality rate."
The Russian Foreign Ministry revised the death toll from 63 to 89 after a Ukrainian missile attack on Russian-controlled Makiivka in Donetsk. The New Year's Eve attack is the bloodiest single occurrence confirmed by Moscow since the beginning of the war. According to Ukraine, 400 troops were killed and 300 more were wounded in the onslaught.
