Usually, a program on Russian state television would celebrate the Kremlin’s victories in the Russia-Ukraine war.
However, the show on Sunday opened with an odd confession.
“This week has been the most challenging during the current special operation on the front lines (in Ukraine),” said Dmitri Kaslev, the program’s solemn anchor.
It was difficult on the Kharkiv front, where enemy troops overpowered our (Russian) troops in a single offensive and forced them to withdraw from cities that had previously been liberated.
The word ‘Azad’ should be translated as ‘possession.’ Moscow took the land months ago, but due to a lightning strike by Ukrainian forces, Russian forces have lost much of northeastern Ukraine.
Even now, the Russian media portrays the situation as the heroics of its forces, and what happened in Kharkiv is not officially described as a “retreat.”
There have been allegations that Russian forces had left the regions of Bolaklia, Kupansk, and Izm. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not refuted these allegations.
According to the newest issue of the state-run daily Rosskaya Gazeta, “they did not flee.” It was a deliberate restructure.’
According to military analysts in Russia’s evening newspaper “Moskovskiy Kosomlets,” “it is already apparent that we have weakened the enemy.” (Russian forces). It took time to react, and the harm was done by then. As a result, we were defeated and attempted to mitigate the damage by ordering our troops to retreat so that they would not be surrounded. ‘You may come.’
The ‘loss’ has infuriated pro-Russian social media channels and ‘patriotic’ Russian bloggers, who have accused their military of committing mistakes.
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‘If there is no change in policy today or tomorrow, I will be forced to speak with the Ministry of Defense and the leadership of the country to convey the reality on the ground,’ he threatened. This is a fascinating situation. It’s unexpected.’
Vladimir Putin launched an all-out war on Ukraine more than six months ago.
And I recall Russian officials, commentators, and analysts said on TV that the Kremlin’s “special military operation” would be over in days. The Ukrainian people will welcome Russian forces as liberators, while the Ukrainian government will collapse like a house of cards.
But Nothing of The Sort Occurred
On the contrary, the Russian army lost captured territory for more than six months during this battle.
As a result, the issue arises as to whether all of this will have political ramifications for Vladimir Putin.
For over two decades, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been regarded as a winner by the Russian elite. He has always portrayed himself as a fierce guy who is unbeatable.
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The events of the last six months demonstrate that President Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine was a colossal blunder. Russia was embroiled in a protracted, violent war and suffered humiliating defeats after failing to gain an early triumph.
When an authoritarian leader’s aura of invincibility fades, it can cause issues for that leader. Vladimir Putin will be well-versed in Russian history. It did not end well for previous Russian leaders who fought but did not win wars.
Russia’s first defeat at the hands of Japan sparked the country’s first revolution in 1905.
Military defeats in World War I created the groundwork for the 1917 Russian Revolution, which ended Czarist Russia’s authority.
But, in public, President Putin will never admit defeat and so terminate the war.
Dmitry Peskov, his spokesman, stated on Monday to the press that “[Russia’s] special military operation is ongoing and will continue until all basic goals are achieved.”
What will Mr. Putin do next?
There isn’t a single person here who knows what Vladimir Putin is thinking or planning. Much depends on how reliable the information they receive from their military and intelligence heads is.
But here are two facts: Russian rulers rarely acknowledge making mistakes. They also rarely make a U-turn.
According to the official media, there are already indications that battlefield failures are being blamed on Western assistance for Ukraine.
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Another troublesome concern has been hovering in the background for months: If President Putin cannot win with conventional weapons, will he consider nuclear weapons?
A few days earlier, Ukrainian military leader Valery Zlozhny warned: “There is a direct threat of Russian armed forces using tactical nuclear weapons in specific situations.”
There are no apparent signals of fear in the Kremlin right now. Russian official television appears to be more upbeat. He describes Russia’s missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as “a watershed moment in the special operation.”
Last week, amid news from the Russia-Ukraine war, was losing territory, a calm-looking Vladimir Putin was in Moscow inaugurating a new Ferris wheel (carousel), Europe’s only one. It is greater than
The Russian president believes that his “special operations,” like Moscow’s new Big Wheel, would benefit him.
