The day of the war at a glance: Putin under pressure before his 70th birthday – secret services see a dilemma in Kherson

The day of the war at a glance
Putin under pressure before his 70th birthday – secret services see a dilemma in Kherson

Planning for Putin’s 70th birthday is underway in the Kremlin, but the Kremlin boss is under so much pressure that there is no mood for celebration. Ukraine reports 400 square kilometers of liberated territory in Kherson. The British secret service sees the Russian troops in a dangerous dilemma there. Zelenskyj is already promoting a war crimes tribunal. The 224th day of the war at a glance.

Ukraine reports 400 square kilometers of Cherson liberated

According to its own statements, the Ukrainian army has recaptured hundreds of square kilometers of territory in the Cherson region within a few days during its counter-offensive. Since the beginning of October, the troops have liberated more than 400 square kilometers in the region in the south of the country, said the spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military south, Nataliya Humenyuk. For days, Ukraine has been reporting gains in the areas occupied by Russia in the east and south of the country, including the Luhansk region, which has been almost completely controlled by Russia up to now.

London sees Kremlin troops in a dilemma

According to British intelligence services, Russia faces a strategic dilemma when it comes to defending southern Ukraine. One of the biggest challenges for Russian commanders is the increasing threat to the strategically important city of Nowa Kakhovka at the southern end of the Dnipro Dam, according to the short report by the British Ministry of Defence. The Russians needed the damaged supply route across the Dnipro in this region to supply their own troops across the river. A withdrawal of the units from there would strengthen the defense of the region around the regional capital of Cherson, but the political imperative would probably dictate not to withdraw. Moscow has already deployed the majority of its undermanned air force to defend Kherson. As a result, the Kremlin hardly has any other highly qualified and rapidly deployable troops that could stabilize the front. It is therefore likely that reservists will be deployed in the future.

Moscow’s combat units “thrown together”

Russian combat units are apparently mixed up wildly. This was suggested by the account of a Ukrainian captain whose unit in the Mykolaiv region recently captured a Russian soldier and whom the “Washington Post” quoted. All three soldiers from the tank crew of the Russian prisoner are said to have come from different units of the Russian armed forces. The prisoner, a paratrooper, was therefore the driver, the commander a mercenary of the Wagner troops. The shooter was mobilized from the so-called Luhansk separatist region controlled by the Kremlin. “If there is already such a jumble of different units at the tank level, then at the company, battalion and brigade level it is clear that there can be no normal coordination,” the Washington Post quoted the Ukrainian captain as saying .

Putin governs with decrees against panic

In Russia, a partial mobilization at the end of September triggered panic among many young men and a mass flight across the borders. According to his own account, President Vladimir Putin is now trying to fix errors. He issued a decree exempting other groups from military service for the time being: students at private universities with state approval, postgraduates and prospective priests. Meanwhile, Moscow announced that it was taking a settlement in Donetsk. After a number of setbacks in eastern Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the capture of the Zaitseve settlement in the Donetsk region and the killing of 120 Ukrainian soldiers.

Kadyrov promises loyalty

After his promotion to Colonel-General, the notorious head of Russia’s Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, pledged his solidarity with the Kremlin chief. The Chechen people will fully support the policies of the head of state anywhere in the world, Kadyrov wrote on Telegram. He had previously thanked for the third-highest military rank. He was “incredibly grateful” to the commander-in-chief for the “great appreciation”. Kadyrov, known for his brutal leadership in Muslim Chechnya in the North Caucasus, has emerged as one of the most ardent supporters of war since Russia invaded Ukraine. Recently, however, he no longer wanted to send his own troops to the fronts in the east and south of Ukraine.

Expert expects power struggles in Russia soon

One day before his 70th birthday, Russia’s president is increasingly in a difficult position due to severe military setbacks. “What matters is staying in power in Moscow, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that Putin is exposing himself to further risks in Ukraine,” Yale professor and Ukraine expert Timothy Snyder wrote in one essai to a possible end of the war. “The earth has moved under Putin’s feet.” Until recently, Putin could have simply announced victory to the mainstream media and most Russians would have been satisfied. “But now he has pushed his senseless war so far that even the Russian information space is beginning to crumble.” Snyder explained that the Ukrainian campaign could end because Putin and his followers need all their strength for a power struggle in Russia.

Peskov on the anniversary: ​​”Putin will work”

Putin will celebrate his birthday this Friday in his hometown of St. Petersburg in the magnificent Constantine Palace. An “informal summit” of the heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is planned for midday in the metropolis on the Gulf of Finland, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, emphasizing that Putin would spend his anniversary with numerous appointments and phone calls. Peskov did not want to reveal the guest list for the “informal summit”. Even the process did not indicate a holiday mood. “Tomorrow the President will work in St. Petersburg,” said Peskov.

Selenskyj insists on war crimes tribunal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for solidarity with his country at the first meeting of the so-called European Political Community. Russia is a state “that geographically appears to belong to Europe, but in terms of its values ​​and behavior it is the most anti-European state in the world,” he said via video link at the Prague summit of more than 40 heads of state and government heads of government from Europe. “We are dealing with a state that doesn’t want peace,” says Zelenskyj. He calls for the sanctions against Moscow to be tightened. In addition, Russia must be excluded from international organizations such as the UN and a war crimes tribunal set up.

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