For Zelenskyj, the military successes make the annexations forgotten. Ex-CIA boss Petraeus sees a “desperate” Putin. And an analysis by the renowned ISW shows: Russian reporting is changing “fundamentally”. what happened in the night
In light of his army’s recent successes in recapturing previously occupied territories, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called the annexations by Russia meaningless. “As soon as the Ukrainian flag has returned, no one remembers the Russian farce with any papers and any annexations,” said Zelenskyj in his video speech on Monday night.
It had previously become known that Russian troops had to give up the strategically important small town of Lyman in the eastern region of Donetsk and that the Ukrainians now have control there again. Around seven months after the war began, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin annexed the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Cherson in addition to Donetsk last Friday. The incorporation of the regions, parts of which Russia has not even conquered, in violation of international law, is not recognized internationally.
The renowned “Institute for the Study of War” sees a “fundamental change in the Russian information space” after Russia’s defeats in Lyman and Kharkiv and the failure of partial mobilization. The experts write: “The media controlled by the Kremlin and Russian military bloggers complain about the loss of Lyman and at the same time criticize the bureaucratic errors of the partial mobilization.” The lack of transparency in the course of the war is also publicly criticized.
The state-controlled broadcaster NTW even criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to annex the four Ukrainian oblasts before their administrative borders or even the front line were secured. They expressed doubts about Russia’s ability to ever fully occupy those territories, the report said.
The “Kremlin propagandists” would no longer hide their disappointment at the implementation of the partial mobilization. There is talk of an illegal mobilization of some men and problems such as alcoholism among the newly mobilized troops are pointed out. The poor quality of the reservists was criticized in some live TV programs.
The conclusion: “The Russian information space deviates significantly from the representations preferred by the Kremlin and the Russian Ministry of Defense, according to which the situation is generally under control.” The defeat at Lyman had triggered even more negative reporting than the Russian withdrawals from Kyiv, Snake Island or even Kharkiv. The reason: numerous Russians fear mobilization and forced conscription.
According to its own statements, Russia has already stopped more than 180 conscripts trying to flee from being drafted into the military on the border with neighboring Georgia. They were given a draft notice right at the Verkhni Lars border crossing, the Interfax agency reported, citing the military commissariat of the Russian region of North Ossetia, which borders on the ex-Soviet Republic of Georgia.
The mobilization ordered by Kremlin chief Putin on September 21 triggered a veritable mass exodus in Russia. Tens of thousands of men fled not only to Georgia in the South Caucasus, but also to the Central Asian ex-Soviet states of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The US and its allies would destroy Russia’s troops and equipment in Ukraine and sink Russia’s Black Sea Fleet if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses nuclear weapons in the country, former CIA director and former four-star general David Petraeus warned Sunday.
Petraeus said he has not spoken to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan about the likely US response to a Russian nuclear escalation, which government officials say has been repeatedly communicated to Moscow.
He told ABC News: “To give you a hypothetical answer, we would lead a NATO – a collective – effort that would eliminate every Russian conventional force that we can see and identify on the battlefield in Ukraine and also in Crimea , as well as every ship in the Black Sea.”
Amid mounting pressure on Putin following Ukraine’s incursions in the east of the country in the wake of last week’s annexation declaration and growing opposition to the mobilizations within Russia, Petreaus said the Moscow leader was “desperate”. “No amount of annexation, no amount of nuclear threat, however hidden, can get him out of this situation.” He sums up: “He will continue to lose on the battlefield.”
The United States assures Ukraine of continued support – regardless of the further course of the war. The combat operations are currently developing positively for the Ukrainian army, said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the news channel CNN. It is difficult to predict the further course, he restricted. “But I would say that no matter which direction this goes, we will provide security support to Ukrainians for as long as necessary,” he stressed.
A few days after the annexation of four Ukrainian regions announced by Kremlin chief Putin, the State Duma in Moscow is expected to seal the illegal annexations by law on Monday. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army is likely to continue its recapture attempts after the successful recapture of Lyman.
Also read: Ukraine update on October 2: Russians attack Zelenskyy’s hometown, Lambrecht promises more weapons
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Putin has called for partial mobilization. But there are many indications that Russia is assembling a mass army. Is that purposeful? No, military experts believe. One historian even believes it will spell the end of Russia as we know it.
After the so-called partial mobilization was announced, thousands of Russians tried to leave the country. Yuri Rescheto reports from Riga.
