Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is about to cross the one-year mark. It’s safe to say that the Russian president didn’t expect this to draw out for so long. Or at least, he didn’t expect to have suffered such enormous manpower losses that he’s reportedly calling up even more troops (in addition to the recent 300,000-strong draft) to send into Ukraine. He did recently admit that he failed to provide basic medical and strategic supplies for his men, but he’s also been losing his temper when any subordinates question his decisions. Reuters is now pointing towards heavy delusion from Putin, who has declared that things are going fantastic. In his eyes, a rare victory (in the eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar) from his troops will carry them to take the whole country.
That claim of a victory may or may not be based upon fact, as CNN reports that Ukraine has pushed back on Putin’s insistence that he’s taken the city. Ukrainian spokesperson Serhiy Cherevaty responded to Putin’s words, which Ukraine insists are “not true” and that fighting continues within Soledar. CNN also sums up the situation, which is that even if Russia takes the city, it’s not a “strategic win” but more of a “symbolic” one. Here’s what Putin’s said about Soledar, which he seems to believe is a turning point after a string of Russian losses, via Reuters:
“The dynamic is positive,” Putin told Rossiya 1 state television when asked about the taking of Soledar. “Everything is developing within the framework of the plan of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff.”
“And I hope that our fighters will please us even more with the results of their combat,” Putin said.
Back at home, however, Russians have spoken with the Wall Street Journal to communicate their despondent feelings while not knowing whether deployed family members are alive and dead. They’re especially on edge following a New Year’s Day Ukrainian strike on Makiivka, which has been occupied by Russian troops, “at least 89” of whom died, according to Wall Street Journal. That number, of course, pales in light of the thousands upon thousands of lives lost so far, even as Putin continues to hand out fancy “rings of power” to those dwindling allies who continue to support him.
(Via Reuters, CNN & Wall Street Journal)