How is Russia’s commander in chief coping with the loss of ground in Ukraine by his troops?
Russia’s talk show shows that there is a sense of unease when the scale of Ukraine counteroffensive sinks.
One in particular was featured on Friday.
Map shows the huge scale of Ukraine’s victory – Latest Updates
It was called Meeting Point and involved all sides admitting that the operation was not going according to plan. It was also clear that the Ukrainians were not welcoming Russia openly. And that anyone who advised President Putin that they might have done this had set Russia up in the fall.
“We believe everything is going according the plan. Is it possible to believe that six months ago, we had planned to leave Balakliya or repel a counteroffensive in Kharkiv? Viktor Olevich was billed as a policy expert to an angry cast of pundits.
Boris Nadezhdin, Sky News’s spokesperson, stated that everyone – both those who oppose the military operation as well as those who support it – has said that something is wrong. “We, the Russian army have a problem,” Boris Nadezhdin explained to Sky News.
He is usually the one who criticizes these shows. It was everyone this time.
He doesn’t think Russia has exhausted its military capability, far from it.
He said that Russia is a large country, and it’s no problem for Russia to mobilize 1 million people to bring them to Ukraine.
“Don’t underestimate the achievements of the Ukrainian army in the last days.”
Since the weekend, TV pundits have broadly regrouped. Their outrage was focused on NATO and West, and less on Russia’s failures – which were lumped together under the headline “regrouping”.
Telegram’s nationalist, angry chatter continues.
Kremlin warns domestic criticisms to be ‘careful.’
Dmitry Peskov (the Kremlin spokesperson) said Tuesday that critics are treading very thinly given Russia’s laws discrediting the Armed Forces.
He said, “One must be very careful.”
However, it is the first time that it is the pro-war camp in front of the headlights and not the liberals who have made their position clear and received both fines or, in some instances, jail sentences for speaking out.
“It’s great to watch, and time to make the popcorn!” Timofey Nikolaev was, until last weekend’s elections, a Moscow-area councillor.
“Before, there was only one camp of supporters for the operation. Now there are two camps fighting against each other. Some even accuse Putin of treason for failing to do enough or for losing.”
As a councillor, his last act was to send a letter to Russia’s state parliament asking for Mr Putin’s resignation. This is not the only appeal.
Another group of St Petersburg politicians has asked for Russia’s president to be indicted for treason in connection with his actions in Ukraine.
They face charges of discrediting the Armed Forces. Most likely, they will be fined.
Nikolaev tried to keep the events in Ukraine out of his remarks. He said that if his term in office is up, then Putin’s should also be.
He wrote that the rhetoric he and his subordinates used was riddled in intolerance, aggression, and had in the end effectively thrown our country back to Cold War times.
We ask that you resign from your position due to your outdated management model and your views. This is a serious problem for Russia’s development and human potential.
He admitted that the appeals and accompanying petition are symbolic.
He said that he didn’t expect any changes, but that it was impossible to know which straw is the final straw.