Right in time for Christmas, Vladimir Putin seems to be realizing that he’s sent hundreds of thousands of troops into an untenable Ukraine situation. Far too many of them have already died, and the atmosphere has deteriorated so much that they’re reportedly drunk and shooting each other. The fact that Putin’s been making boozy addresses in a celebratory tone while his soldiers must resort to degraded ammo cannot be helping the situation. It’s also not great that they’re being told (on video) that they’re SOL at treating bullet wounds unless they bring tampons.
This week, Putin announced that he’s pouring unlimited funding into this war, but perhaps some crony told him that he needed to make good on this promise, so he’s talking again. Via the New York Times, Putin finally realized that he needed to get real, and it’s certainly an “unusual” approach for the Russian president:
In an unusual acknowledgment of Russia’s shortcomings in a speech at the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the Russian leader ticked off a list of areas his military must improve on. He declared that drones must be able to communicate targeting information through encrypted channels “in real time.” He said the military needed to “improve the command and control system” and its ability to strike back at enemy artillery.
And he nodded to the widespread reports of soldiers’ being sent to the front without basic equipment, instructing officers to pay attention to “medical kits, food, dry rations, uniforms, footwear, protective helmets and bulletproof vests.”
Yep, it’s kind-of wild that Putin has sent his economy tanking to take this huge gamble but can’t even muster up fresh ammunition and food (soldiers have been complaining about being forced to eat dog food, for real) during this invasion. Back in Russia, citizens don’t even have paper, so one can expect the public outcry to continue while Putin hides in his bunker for Christmas.
(Via New York Times)