Does Putin Not Know Where Things Stand in Ukraine? Following a series of major Ukrainian victories over the weekend, which saw the Ukrainian military getting within 50km of the Russian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin officials have remained dead silent over the matter.
Russian Nationalists Angry
Pro-Kremlin nationalists in Ukraine and Russia called on the Russian president to make drastic changes to the current approach to the war in Ukraine this weekend and expressed anger over the Kremlin’s silence over the recent losses.
The anger of pro-Kremlin nationalists was revealed when Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov took to social media to express his grievances.
“If today or tomorrow changes are not made in the conduct of the special military operation, I will be forced to go to the country’s leadership to explain to them the situation on the ground,” Kadyrov said in an 11-minute-long audio post on Telegram.
The message was clear – if Putin doesn’t make changes now, the long-time Putin ally – whose troops have been at the forefront of the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine – will go to the Kremlin to express his discontent and describe the situation from his perspective.
Kadyrov also appeared to suggest that the Russian president may simply not know how bad things are in Ukraine – something we’ve heard before, during the early days of the conflict.
Comments On Saturday
Putin has certainly had opportunities to offer his thoughts on the setbacks in Ukraine, too. On Saturday, Putin attended an event at the Zaryadye Concert Hall, marking Moscow’s 875th anniversary. The Russian president stuck to the event’s theme throughout his speech but made some references to the war in Ukraine towards the end.
“Today we have been joined by soldiers fighting for a peaceful life in Donbas, Muscovites who distinguished themselves during the special military operation, families of our fellow soldiers who, I regret to say, fell in battle,” Putin said, referencing his stated goal of “liberating” the Donbas regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
“They gave their lives for Russia. We have been joined by distinguished doctors and teachers who have rendered medical aid and given a start in life to many generations of Muscovites. We see men and women of science, culture and art who are known all over the country.”
Image of attack, screenshot from Twitter/social media.
The Russian president quickly turned his focus back to the city of Moscow, describing plans to mondernize its transportation system, education facilities, hospitals, and more.
The Russian president also opened the largest Ferris wheel in Europe in Moscow Park and attended a firework ceremony at the Red Square.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
