In the Bakhmut region, which Russia is trying to advance (Yazuichi Chiba / AFP)
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine entering its eighth month, facts abound revealing anger among the ruling elite in Russia at the outcome of what has been achieved, especially after The great field retreat of the Russian army In the last few weeks, having to do it President Vladimir Putin To declare a partial military mobilization, thousands of young Russians were involved in the war.
Faced with this situation, which is accompanied by continuous Western pressure on Moscow, both through sanctions and military aid to Kiev, leaks emerge of criticism directed not only at the Russian military leaders, but also personally reached Putin, according to information published by the The American newspaper “Washington Post”, in parallel with the statements The public’s failure to lead military operations.
Faced with this reality, Moscow seemed to be trying to mitigate the repercussions of recent defeats, in particular the loss of large areas in southern Kherson, in particular, by announcing progress in eastern Ukraine yesterday, Friday, but this has not allayed fears. that he would resort to a dangerous option through the use of tactical nuclear weapons, especially if Putin does not find a way out of the situation in which he finds himself.
Growing concern within Putin’s circle
This was revealed by the Washington PostYesterday, US intelligence obtained information that a member of Putin’s inner circle recently expressed his opposition to his handling of this war. The newspaper quoted those who had been informed, whose identities had not been disclosed, that this information was deemed important enough to be included in President Joe Biden’s daily intelligence briefing and shared with other US officials.
According to the newspaper, the outrage expressed by a member of Putin’s inner circle was about what insiders saw as the mismanagement of the war effort and the mistakes made by those leading the military campaign.
And the Washington Post quoted a Western intelligence official as saying that “since the beginning of the occupation, we have seen growing concern from a number of people within Putin’s inner circle.” A second Western official added, according to the newspaper, that internal tensions in Russia “are in line with the atmosphere that reigns in the Kremlin. Many people are convinced that this is not going well or that it is the right course of action”.
A senior European security official told the newspaper of “growing criticism of Putin behind his back”, including from inside the Kremlin, saying they “think he is stubborn” and “obsessed with Ukraine”.
Two Russian businessmen: the next few weeks could be decisive in determining Putin’s future and the decisions he makes
The Washington Post also quoted two Russian businessmen, who have contacts with political officials, saying the next few weeks could be decisive in determining Putin’s future and the decisions he will make. One of them, a member of the Russian business elite, claimed that if the Russian military did not stop its losses, internal strife would break out. “This is the breaking point,” said one.
With Russian casualties on the ground, loyalty to Putin could diminish, intelligence officials told the American newspaper, but warned there was no indication that the Russian leader was about to fall.
On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to talk about divisions within the Russian ruling circle, but said that there were discussions on decisive decisions and explained to the “Washington Post” that “there is a differences of opinion at these times. Some believe we should act differently, but it’s all part of the normal business process. “
In response to a question about the differences within Putin’s inner circle, Peskov said: “There are practical discussions: about the economy, about the conduct of the military operation. There are discussions about the education system. This is part of the normal process. of work, not a sign of division “. But Peskov said US intelligence reports that someone in Putin’s inner circle directly challenged the Russian leader was “completely false.”
Peskov: US intelligence reports that someone in Putin’s inner circle has challenged him are completely false
The information revealed by the “Washington Post” comes with mounting public criticism of senior Russian military officials, the latest of which was the statement by the deputy head of the Russian-backed administration of the Kherson region, Kirill Strimosov, that “generals and ministers “in Moscow failed to absorb the problems at the forefront.
Before him, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov raised questions about the leadership hierarchy within the Russian military and said that “nepotism in the army will lead to bad things. There is no place for nepotism in the army. especially in difficult times “. It also emerged some time ago that the founder of the “Wagner Group” Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin’s longtime ally, described the Russian military leaders as “pieces of junk”.
Resentment is also starting to erupt among pro-government broadcasters of state television. “Please explain to me what the genius idea of the general staff is right now?” Said Vladimir Solovyov, one of the most famous Russian talk show hosts.
Even the chief editor of the state news channel “Russia Today” Margarita Simonyan, who is a close confidant of the Kremlin, suggested that the generals of the Russian army should be executed because of the defeats suffered. During a televised debate, Simonyan recalled how World War II leaders dealt with execution after their forces were defeated and she noted that the recent retreats were similar to the collapse of the Russian Western Front eight decades ago.
In this context, it emerged yesterday that the Russian website “RBC” revealed that the Russian authorities had fired the commander of the eastern military district, Colonel Alexander Chaiko. According to the site, Rustam Muradov was appointed to head the region.
In further indication of the decline suffered by Russian forces in their invasion, the British Defense Ministry said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had captured at least 440 tanks and around 650 armored vehicles since the start of the war, and pointed out. that “the failure of Russian crews to destroy equipment. Proper procedures before retreating or surrendering highlight their poor training conditions and low levels of discipline in battle.”
In an attempt to take advantage of this situation, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov called on Russian soldiers to lay down their arms, pledging to guarantee them “life and safety”.
Fears of hard choices
But the difficult situation Putin finds himself in increases fears that he will make tough choices. In this context, US President Joe Biden warned him Humanity faces the threat of a war for the “end of the world”. For the first time since the Cold War. “We haven’t faced the prospect of an apocalyptic battle since (former President John) Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis” in 1962, Biden said Thursday night in New York, adding: “We are trying to understand how Putin will find a way out.”
Biden warned that even a tactical attack within a limited area would lead to wide-ranging repercussions, and stressed that Putin “is not joking when he talks about the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons, as it can claim that his army’s performance is significantly weak. “
Russia talks about progress on the ground
On the other hand, Russia was talking about progress on the ground, yesterday, Friday, in eastern Ukraine. Pro-Russian separatists said the villages of Otradivka, Vesila Dolina and Zaitsevi, near the town of Pakhmut in the Donetsk region, have come under Russian control. For his part, the leader of the pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region, Denis Pushlin, indicated that the situation is “more difficult” near Lyman, which is the hub of a railway junction that was recently taken over by Ukrainian forces.
For his part, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrinin announced yesterday that his country, Russia’s only true ally in the war against Ukraine, is ready when needed. To mobilize 500,000 reservists A trainer of the armed forces, and explained in statements to reporters published on the Belarusian Ministry of Defense channel on “Telegram”, that his country’s forces will soon obtain new weapons from the “Iskander” systems, the “S-400” air defense. systems and new unmanned warplanes.
On the other hand, Ukrainian forces reported making gains yesterday by controlling the village of Grekyvka in the Lugansk region, according to Governor Sergey Gaidai. In the Kherson region, pro-Russian official Kirill Strimosov said five civilians were killed and five injured in a Ukrainian raid that hit a civilian bus. The Ukrainian presidency spoke for the second consecutive day of a new Russian attack in the Zaporizhia region, injuring one person.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a speech Thursday that “more than 500 square kilometers of Russian occupiers have been liberated from the Kherson region alone” since the beginning of October.
Zelensky called on the European Union to put more pressure on the Russian energy sector
In his speech on Friday, Zelensky called on the European Union to put more pressure on the Russian energy sector and said in a video speech at an EU summit in Prague: “We must continue to move forward in this direction, in the direction of pressure on the Russian energy sector, the main source of income for the aggressor state “, and renewed the request to” demilitarize “the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya.
At this moment, yesterday the UN Human Rights Council created for the first time in its history the position of Special Rapporteur to monitor the suppression of dissent in Russia. The council of 47 nations adopted its resolution with 17 votes in favor. Twenty-four countries abstained and 6 countries voted against the resolution, including China. The resolution provides for the appointment of a special rapporteur to monitor the “human rights situation” for a period of one year. The text instructs the Special Rapporteur to “collect, examine and evaluate relevant information released by all interested parties, including Russian civil society, inside and outside the country”.
In yesterday’s developments, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed bilateral relations by telephone with Putin and reiterated Ankara’s readiness to play a role in ending the war in Ukraine peacefully.
(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, AFP, Reuters)
