Russia’s withdrawal from major Ukrainian cities over the weekend sparked protests from unexpected crowds. State media usually report the war in Moscow in glowing terms.
A series of embarrassing military losses in recent weeks The prominent host of Russian news and political talk shows still struggles to find ways to portray Ukraine’s interests in a way that favors the Kremlin.
Dissatisfaction with battlefield setbacks has long been expressed on social media blogs run by nationalist pundits and pro-Kremlin analysts. overflowing with
President Vladimir Putin faces widespread Russian grievances over partial mobilization of reservists, creating an uncongenial tone in state media Government officials have struggled to explain plans to annex areas of Ukraine while they are being recaptured by Kyiv forces.
“Russia’s defeats in Kharkov[region]and Lyman, combined with the Kremlin’s inability to effectively and fairly implement partial mobilizations, fundamentally change the Russian information space,” said Washington. The War Research Institute, based in the United States, said in a report.
Vladimir Putin’s media allies, an eastern city used by Russian forces as an important logistics and transportation hub after Ukraine recaptured Lyman on Sunday, said tougher measures were needed for victory. He took great care to criticize his army more directly.
“What happened on Saturday, Lyman – it’s a serious challenge for us,” said Vladimir Solovyov, primetime talk show host on state television channel Russia 1 and one of the Kremlin’s biggest cheerleaders. “We need to get it together, make unpopular but necessary decisions, and act.”
Ukrainian forces recaptured Lyman a day after Moscow celebrated its illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine, including Donetsk. About 40% of it (now including Lyman) is under Kyiv’s control.
The move could lead Ukrainian forces to push further into lands illegally claimed by Moscow.Ukrainian army gained more gains in counterattacks At least two fronts advanced on Monday in the very region Russia sought to absorb.
The Chechen leadership, a Russian part of the North Caucasus, blamed a general for the retreat at Lyman. In an online post, outspoken Kremlin supporter Ramzan Kadyrov said the general’s incompetence was “covered up by the top leaders of the General Staff” and called for “more drastic measures” to be taken. I asked
Komsomolskaya Pravda’s article on Lyman’s retreat, a popular pro-Kremlin tabloid in Russia, painted a dark picture of the Russian military. Lyman’s Russian forces were plagued by shortages of supplies and personnel, poor coordination and tactical errors orchestrated by military officials, according to an article published on Sunday.
According to an unnamed soldier quoted in the story, who was part of a group that withdrew from Lyman to Kreminna, another strategically important city in the Ukrainian army’s sights, “It’s always been like that.” There is virtually no communication between different units.”
Posting on the social media app Telegram, Russian war correspondents working for state media were also abuzz with reports of the withdrawal, with some expressing concern about further Ukrainian pressure on Kreminna.
“It turned out that in two days the Ukrainian army had broken through the defense of 30 kilometers in the direction of Luhansk … so they could not even establish themselves near Kreminna. Russian 1st Enforcement” Reporter Alexander Sladkov wrote on his Telegram channel, which currently has about 940,000 followers.
The popular news and political talk show host on Sunday’s state-run Russia-1 television channel described Lyman’s loss as “a grim situation.”
Soldiers cited by state media on Sunday gave an analysis of the situation that was at least partially in line with Putin: they said alliance members had provided Ukraine with weapons and even fighter jets, and that they had been involved in NATO. Blamed the difficulties of the Russian army.
“This is not a game. It has not been a game for a long time,” a soldier told a Russia 1 reporter in the Donetsk region. “This is a clear and painstaking attack by NATO forces.”
To support his claims, the soldier claimed that communications intercepted by the Russian military included Romanian and Polish-speaking people. He did not explain how he or the other soldiers could recognize which language.
Media personalities also echoed the arguments Putin has been making.
Primetime show host Solovyov said on Sunday’s show that Moscow “is not dealing with Ukraine. We are past it. We are dealing with the whole thing.”
“Don’t wait for good news,” he warned immediately from the battlefield. “One must have long willpower and strategic patience,” Solovyov said.