#Putin #promised #people #stability #chaos #bloodshed #analysis
Not even a week after re-election Vladimir Putin by the Russian president, Russia was plunged into bloodshed and chaos. A horrific attack on the sprawling Crocus City Hall concert hall and shopping mall complex near Moscow, believed to be behind the Islamic State, has left hundreds of innocent people dead or injured.
Security has been beefed up at key transport hubs across Russia amid fears that more attacks could be coming. Public concerts and sporting events have been postponed. This is hardly the stability and security that so many Russians elected Putin for.
For years, the Russian president has been cast in the role of a leader who is able to guarantee order in a vast and wild country. But today’s Russia seems more uncertain and unstable than at any time during Putin’s 24-year rule.
Russia is reportedly suffering huge losses
The Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, now two years old, has cost the Russians dearly. The military does not release casualty figures, but US estimates say more than 300,000 Russians were killed or wounded. Many soldiers who were mobilized last year were still not rotated, which provoked protests from concerned relatives. As the war continues, fear grows among Russians that another mobilization will come, which will bring even more troops into the Ukrainian meat grinder.
Meantime Ukrainian drone attacks and raids by pro-Ukrainian militias on the border with Russia continue.
On the Ukrainian front, it looks like the Russians currently have the upper hand, however Russian war bloggers criticized the poor performance of Russian commanders and the poor state of armaments, who complained about the incompetence of decision makers.
The rebellion of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner’s group, last year when he demanded the dismissal of a high-ranking Russian commander was a shocking and unprecedented challenge to Putin. His death in a mysterious private plane crash ended any further threats the Wagnerian leader might pose. However, other naysayers could emerge.
Terrorist warning
The recent death of Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, has permanently silenced a vocal critic of the Kremlin. But the thousands of people who came to his funeral in Moscow or who on the last day of the presidential election, they took part in the Poledne event against Putin, testifying to a certain dissatisfaction.
However, attention is now focused on potential further terrorist attacks. To make matters worse, US and other Western governments were warned by intelligence agencies that warned of a possible terrorist attack in Russia already at the beginning of March. US officials said they had alerted Russia to this. But for some reasons, Putin chose to ignore it and he responded to the warning in the manner of “a provocation … designed to intimidate and destabilize our country.”
The reason could be Russia’s mistrust of the US, as relations between the countries are historically very bad at the moment, or US intelligence could have been too vague.
However for a leader who has promised Russians security and stability, a massive attack on Russian soil is another major blow.
Good morning,
Six people were killed and ten others injured in a new Russian attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv early this morning. This was announced on the Telegram social network by the head of the administration of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syněhubov, and the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terechov.
Ukrainian police said the attack was carried out by drones. She also posted photos of fires that broke out in the city’s streets and around buildings.
Suspilne public television reported that a high-rise apartment building in the Shevchenkiv district was damaged and a shop burned down, according to . Other reports said the attack took place shortly after midnight. Terechov added that the attack hit residential areas and damaged at least nine high-rise buildings, three hostels, a number of administrative buildings, a shop, a gas station, a car repair shop and cars.
Thank you for your attention to our online coverage of the conflict in Ukraine and related events. You can expect more fresh news again tomorrow morning. Until then, good night.
Ukraine announced the mandatory evacuation of children from 52 settlements in the Sumy region. Local authorities plan to evacuate 297 children with their families or other legal representatives to safer regions of Ukraine free of charge, the Reintegration Ministry said.
