1 hour ago, 9/17/2022
Ukraine’s recent counter-offensive will not change Russia’s plans, Vladimir Putin has said in his first public comments on the matter.
In a rapid counter-attack, Ukrainian forces say they captured over 8,000 sq km (3,088 sq miles) in six days in the north-eastern Kharkiv region.
But Mr Putin said he was not in a hurry, and the offensive in Ukraine’s Donbas region remains on track.
He also noted that Russia had so far not deployed its full forces.
“Our offensive operation in the Donbas is not stopping. They’re moving forward – not at a very fast pace – but they are gradually taking more and more territory,” he said after a summit in Uzbekistan.
The industrial Donbas region in east Ukraine is the focus of Russia’s invasion, which Mr Putin falsely claims is necessary to save Russian-speakers from genocide.
Parts of the Donbas have been occupied by Russian-backed separatists since 2014. The Kharkiv region, where Ukraine’s recent counter-attack was launched, is not part of the Donbas.
In Friday’s comments, Mr Putin also pointed out that only part of the Russian army is fighting in Ukraine, threatening a “more serious” response if Ukrainian attacks continue.
“I remind you that the Russian army isn’t fighting in its entirety… Only the professional army is fighting.”
Russia initially denied sending conscript soldiers to Ukraine, but several officers were disciplined after cases came to light of conscripts being forced to sign contracts and in some instances being taken prisoner.
So far, Russia has not officially declared war on Ukraine and only refers to its invasion as a “special military operation”.
But after Russia’s recent losses, some pro-Kremlin commentators have called for more forces to be mobilised. A recent leaked video which appears to show an attempt to recruit convicts to a private military company suggests Russia is struggling to find enough men willing to fight.
Mr Putin has only rarely left Russia since the invasion in February. This week’s visit to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand – where he met the Chinese leader Xi Jinping – highlights his need to foster ties with Asian countries after being sidelined by the West.
But even there, leaders have expressed concern over the invasion.
“Today’s time is not a time for war,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Mr Putin.
And on the previous day, Mr Putin hinted that Xi Jinping also disapproved.
“We understand your questions and concerns” he told the Chinese leader in reference to the war.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62934875
Welcome to Ukraine…
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“Ukraine counter-offensive won’t change Russia’s plans”
Ukraine realizes that there is no talking sense into this evil freak. It’s the same situation now as it was in 1940, when it was obvious that a decisive military defeat of Adolf Hitler was the one and only acceptable option. This is so with putler.
“But Mr Putin said he was not in a hurry, and the offensive in Ukraine’s Donbas region remains on track.
He also noted that Russia had so far not deployed its full forces.”
Both sentences are unadulterated lies and I’m quite certain that Xi and Modi and the others only shook their heads at so much stupidity. They are realizing that mafia land cannot win this war. They know that nothing is going as planned, that mafia land is desperate to find enough meat puppets and has already lost massive amounts of material that it cannot replace. Everyone ssees him for what he is; a sick clown.
So a “Special Military Operation” requires “full forces”? It seems to me he would have done that at the start if it was in the plans. He is finished and there’s nothing else left to do except blame Kadyrov and have him killed.
“Our offensive operation in the Donbas is not stopping. They’re moving forward – not at a very fast pace – but they are gradually taking more and more territory,”
I need to go see my optician. Last time I looked, the orcs had lost more than 50% of the area occupied since March.
Being a dictator, he has time on his side. Having the support of maybe half the world’s population; time is on his side. The EU and Nato both crawl with putlerites; time is on his side.
The onus is on the US, UK and Poland to act independently of the EU and Nato to crush the putler regime.
I wish I had the confidence to say that they will do everything necessary to finish this demon off quickly.
“We aren’t retreating, we’re just advancing towards the rear!”
Like you, I wish the supporters of Ukraine would send the weapons needed to crush Russia in Ukraine. Putin’s threats are neither here nor there. Putin’s “more serious response,” won’t amount to much. All he has is cannon fodder and he hasn’t enough of that to choke the Ukrainians on Russian blood. If Putin tried that he would be decorating a lamp post quite soon.