1. The Russian defeat in Kharkiv Images of Russian tanks and armored vehicles abandoned in a river and along the roadside. Uniform jackets thrown on the ground by fleeing soldiers. Some of them are said to have escaped by bicycle during the Ukrainian counter-offensive. Mins one mass grave and lots of graves discovered after the Russians left the city of Izium in the south of Kharkiv county. It is not only the Ukrainians and the rest of the world who have seen this. Russians who want to know, they also got it. The messaging service “Telegram” is full of uncensored reports and comments. A Ukrainian soldier checks an abandoned Russian personnel vehicle near Izjum in the Kharkiv region, September 20. Photo: GLEB GARANICH / Reuters But Putin is no comforting father when things go badly on the battlefield. Only today is he “replying”, fifteen days after the start of Ukraine’s counter-offensive. He answers because he had to. 2. Loud dissatisfaction with the war Criticism of the war has not allowed itself to be suppressed. Lolak politicians in St. Petersburg, Moscow and several other cities have demanded Putin’s resignation. In a petition, they also ask that he be impeached for betraying the fatherland. Several state television channels allowed critics to have their say. Most came from the right. They demanded increased military effort. But opponents of the war also surprisingly escaped. It was at least as important that Russia’s pop queen for almost 50 years, Alla Pugacheva, distanced herself from the war. – Our boys are being killed for illusory goals, she wrote on her Instagram account. Pop Queen Alla Pugacheva and President Vladimir Putin while they were still good friends. 22 December 2014. Photo: Alexei Druzhinin / AP 3. Frustration in the Russian armed forces We have few reliable sources for the discussions taking place internally in the Russian armed forces. But the British Ministry of Defense has diligently shared information based on its own intelligence. It is an account of low morale, a lack of discipline and far too few resources. The impression is confirmed by so-called “mile bloggers” on Telegram. Starsje Eddy, for example, is ironic about the abilities of the Russian General Staff. In today’s televised speech, the mobilization of 300,000 soldiers is justified by the need to defend a front of 1,000 kilometers. President Putin probably knows that there are too few soldiers on the ground to do the job he is asking them to do. Defense Minister Sergej Shoigu has stood loyally by Putin’s side throughout the war. Here in a TV interview about the partial mobilization today. Sjojgu assured that no students will be summoned. Photo: AP 4. Fear of international isolation Putin is in danger of becoming a burden to powerful friends. During the meeting with Uzbekistan last week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “now is not a time for war”. The president of the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan failed to meet Putin at the airport. China’s President Xi, on the other hand, was met. And after meeting the Chinese leader, Putin said he understood that Xi had “questions and concerns” related to the situation in Ukraine. Today’s actions with a strong focus on four counties in the east and south of Ukraine may indicate that Putin will not attempt to take Kyiv or larger parts of Ukraine. It can be seen as an attempt to reassure both the own population and powerful friends. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi during the Shanghai Cooperation Council meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16. Photo: Sergei Bobylev / AP 5. A way out that combines “democracy” and soldiers Russia’s president does not seem to care about claims that the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine are violations of international law. But at the same time, he is keen to give new initiatives a semblance of legality. Such as when the Duma in February decided to recognize Luhansk and Donetsk as “independent” states just before the invasion in February. The plans for so-called “referendums” on joining Russia in four partially occupied Ukrainian counties fit into the same pattern. They start at the weekend and will end on Tuesday 27 September. Significant parts of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia are under Ukrainian control. It is also expected that opponents of the annexation will boycott the referendums. Thus, the official result will probably show a large majority in favor of joining Russia. Russian soldiers patrol outside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Donetsk region. The city is still under Russian control. Before the war, over 430,000 people lived there. Now the Ukrainian authorities claim that the figure is below 100,000, but this is uncertain. Photo from 13 June. Photo: AP Next, the national assembly will probably urgently deal with incorporation into Russia, as it did with Crimea in 2014. Putin will probably use that to say that the mobilized reserves are used to defend “Russian territory”. Demanding implementation But it is by no means certain that as many as 300,000 reservists want to sign up for war. And if they do, weapons, ammunition, clothing and instructors are needed. In any case, it will take several months to get so many soldiers ready.
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That’s why Putin is now mobilizing – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
