Hundreds arrested in Kherson
Blinken: Putin will never win hearts of Ukrainians
03/09/2022, 8:09 p.m
The invasion of Russia is going slowly, but on paper Russia should be victorious in the end. However, US Secretary of State Blinken is convinced that President Putin will not win over the Ukrainians. Numerous arrests of protesters are reported in the occupied city of Kherson.
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin can only lose in the Ukraine war. “Ultimately, I firmly believe that Putin will fail and Russia will suffer a strategic defeat – no matter what short-term tactical gains it may make in Ukraine,” Blinken said in a joint press appearance in Washington with his British colleague Liz Truss.
“You can win a battle, but that doesn’t mean you win the war. On the contrary. You can take a city, but not the hearts and minds of the people.” Putin has already failed with previous tactical goals, said Blinken. Russia has not yet managed to take Ukraine and will not be able to hold the country in the long term.
In addition, the harsh sanctions and the exodus of many international companies from Russia would have profound consequences for the country, not only today but also in the long term. It is more a question of whether Putin will ultimately decide to limit the losses he has inflicted on himself and the Russian people.
US President Joe Biden also said on Tuesday: “Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin.” The Russian president could “maybe take a city, but he’ll never be able to hold the country.”
Ukrainians protest against occupiers
Blinken’s assessment is consistent with current reports that, according to Ukrainian information, the Russian army arrested around 400 people who had protested against the Russian occupation of the city of Cherson. “The Russian National Guard was stationed there and made more than 400 illegal arrests of Ukrainian citizens,” the Ukrainian Army Headquarters said on Facebook.
Human rights commissioner in the Ukrainian parliament Lyudmila Denizova said Russian forces had seized a disused detention center where arrested Ukrainians could be held. Cherson, located near Crimea annexed by Russia, was the first major city in Ukraine to be taken by the Russian army on March 2nd. In the last few days there have been numerous videos of Ukrainians protesting in villages and towns against the presence of the Russian army.