Vladimir Putin recently (and finally) admitted that he’s failed to provide vital supplies, including ammo and medical gear, to his troops. He made this sheepish statement at about the same time that he handed out fancy “rings of power” to his remaining allies. No matter what image that he’d like to project, however, it’s clear that his plan of invading Ukraine wasn’t well planned out at all. The war’s been ongoing for nearly a year with enormous loss of life for Russia and replacement soldiers being not so easy to recruit and train in an effective manner.
In fact, Putin called up 300,000 more troops after Russia struggled to woo volunteer replacements. Fast forward a few more months, and it seems like that wasn’t enough sacrifice for the autocrat. As Business Insider relays by way of a German news site, it sure sounds like Putin’s feeling desperate enough to begin a new (and larger) draft:
Speaking to the German news site T-Online, Andriy Chernyak, a Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service representative, said that they believe the mobilization will be announced on January 15, after the Orthodox Christian Christmas.
Chernyak estimated 500,000 people would be mobilized, with those living in cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg to be most impacted.
This, of course, not only would add up to half a million soldiers but also half a million families whose lives would be irreparably disrupted, not to mention the business-related fallout. Putin is still in it to win it, and reports have already indicated that he fears for his very life (and continued autocratic rule), should Russia continue to spiral toward full loss in Ukraine. It’s no wonder that reports have also indicated that he’s hatched a plan to flee Russia if his imperialistic war continues to go downhill.
(Via Business Insider)