Today, Vladimir Putin appeared set to go all-in on his campaign in Ukraine, stoking worries of an increase in combat that may draw NATO into the conflict and ignite World War III.
In a day of rapid-fire developments, Kremlin stooges in Ukraine’s Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions simultaneously declared referendums on joining Russia between September 23 and September 27, with the bogus ballots likely to pass with relative ease.
Dmitry Medvedev, a key Putin friend, warned that ‘all forces of self-defence’ would be utilized to defend what he termed ‘Russian territory,’ setting the stage for a new phase of the fight employing weaponry and strategies that the Kremlin had previously held back.
Moscow’s rubber-stamp parliament enacted new rules opening the way for Putin to cease his’special military operation’ and officially declare war, allowing him to mobilize Russia’s huge population into the army.
It follows Ukraine’s humiliating defeat of Putin’s forces to the east of Kharkiv and recapture of a large swath of territory, with the dictator’s cronies, propagandists, and political hardliners urging for an escalation amid calls for the president’s resignation.
Putin is reportedly prepared to address the nation tonight, according to Russia’s state TV, which did not provide any specifics.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was among the first Western leaders to respond, stating that the referendums are a fraud and must be opposed by world powers.
Vladimir Putin set the stage for an escalation of his war against Ukraine with a series of rapid-fire events that signaled the beginning of a new chapter in the conflict.
It follows Ukraine’s gains across the country’s eastern region, with troops seizing Bilohorivka (pictured) in Luhansk yesterday.
Despite Zelensky’s claims that the Russian forces near Kharkiv are ‘panicking,’ Kyiv’s men continue to advance after their defeat.
“It is very evident that these sham referendums cannot be recognised and are not covered by international law,” Scholz stated in advance of the UN General Assembly gathering in New York, where leaders will debate Ukraine.
Zelensky is scheduled to deliver a virtual address to the summit following the approval of an emergency motion allowing him to speak.
When asked about today’s referendums, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated, “From the very beginning of the operation, we said that the peoples of the individual regions should decide their fate, and the current scenario demonstrates that they wish to be in charge of their own destiny.”
Leading propagandist Margarita Simonyan responded to the news by stating, “Based on what is happening and what is about to occur, this week marks either the eve of our imminent victory or the eve of nuclear war.”
I cannot see a third option.
Conservative representative Leondid Slutsky applauded the move, stating that “mobilization is urgent and important.”
Kiev and the Ukrainian people are not at war; rather, it is the puppet dictatorship of the NATO alliance and the U.S. president.
Putin has refrained from proclaiming mobilization, ostensibly out of fear for the ire of ordinary Russians who have thus far ignored the war or voiced support despite having nothing to lose.
It also comes as an increasing number of politicians and public figures have demanded his resignation over the military failures.
The Kharkiv defeat returned over 8,000 square kilometers of territory to Ukraine and split Russian forces between the Donbas and Kharkiv fronts, leaving Putin unable to defend both simultaneously.
Putin’s commanders are currently attempting to reinforce and push back the Ukrainians, while Zelensky’s troops hold the new front line, probe the Ukrainian defenses, and advance as much as possible.
Putin’s response to Ukraine’s surprise counterattack out of Kharkiv has caused a Russian tank to rust on the battlefield.
Russian Armoured Personnel Destroyed Near Kharkiv, where Ukraine launched a brilliant counterattack that humiliated the Kremlin, transports are shown.
Ukrainian technicians attempt to repair a seized Russian tank for use by their soldiers during the counteroffensive.
Overnight, Zelensky stated, “We are stabilizing the situation and maintaining our positions.” Firmly. So tightly that the occupants are visibly terrified.
We warned Russian troops in Ukraine that they have just two options: to flee or to surrender.
We are now certain that the occupiers will have no foothold on Ukrainian territory, thanks to the Security Service of Ukraine.
Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of the occupied Luhansk area, reported that soldiers had stormed into Bilohorivka, the first village to be recaptured in Luhansk.
He stated that it will serve as the launching pad for an assault on the broader territory with the objective of restoring Ukrainian control.
However, he cautioned that Russia is preparing its defenses and that “we will not simply march in,” attempting to allay fears of a Kharkiv-style fast invasion.
Monday, Ukrainian forces sunk a Russian pontoon bridge carrying weapons and troops across the Dnipro River near Kherson, which is located in the south.
A spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern command stated, “The situation is still tight, but under our control.”
Luhansk and the adjacent province of Donetsk make up the industrialized eastern area of Donbas, which Moscow says it plans to conquer as the major objective of what it calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Having expelled Russian forces from northern Kharkiv province in a lightning-fast counteroffensive this month, Ukrainian forces have begun to advance into Luhansk.
In response to the success of Ukraine’s recent offensive, the leader of a Moscow-backed administration in Donbas has called for immediate referendums on the territory joining Russia.
Denis Pushilin, the chief of the Donetsk rebel administration based in Moscow, urged his counterpart in Luhansk to coordinate preparations for a referendum on joining Russia.
On Monday, the Ukrainian general staff said that violence had been confined to the Donetsk region.
In his nighttime address, President Zelensky asserted that Russia is “panicking” and that he is confident of restoring all Ukrainian territory.
It was stated in a daily update that Ukrainian Defense Forces troops withstood enemy strikes in the areas of Mayorsk, Vesele, Kurdyumivka, and Novomykhailivka over the last 24 hours.
In the south, where another Ukrainian counteroffensive has made slower progress, the Ukrainian military reported sinking a barge carrying Russian troops and equipment across a river near Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region.
The construction of a crossing was suspended after failing to withstand fire from Ukrainian soldiers. The barge… was added to the submarine force of the occupants,’ the military claimed in a Facebook post.
Ukraine is still reviewing what transpired in regions that were under Russian control for months before a Russian force retreat earlier this month significantly altered the war’s dynamic.
On Monday, the regional governor of Kharkiv, Oleh Synehubov, reported that Ukrainian forensic experts have unearthed 146 remains buried without coffins in a massive improvised cemetery in the woods near the retaken town of Izium. According to Zelenskiy, approximately 450 tombs were discovered at the site.
It is rumored that Putin’s inner circle is bitterly divided about any effort to compel men into the army and the front lines of the battle.
They feel it could be a turning moment that leads to opposition and Putin’s downfall.
The director of the Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, is allegedly “categorically opposed” to mobilization.
Following a request by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, certain loyalist governors have agreed to the’self-mobilization’ of males in their respective districts.
Although such actions lack the authority of law, they signify an escalation of recruitment efforts.
Sergei Tsivilev, the leader of the Kemerovo region, stated, “A substantial number of Kuzbass inhabitants are prepared to protect our Great Motherland today […].”
I have no doubt that the special military operation will accomplish its objectives.
Ukraine continues to exhume a mass grave in Izyum containing the dead of civilians and troops, some of whom appear to have been tortured, after Russia’s withdrawal.
Exhuming graves in a forest near the city of Izyum are Ukrainian forensic scientists and war crimes investigators wearing hazardous suits.
Minor party leaders have also called for mobilization in recent days, a clear indication that Putin will soon endorse such a strategy.
Dmitry Oreshkin, a political specialist, stated: ‘It is evident that the mobilization statements made by [Communist Gennady] Zyuganov, [LDPR Leonid] Slutsky, and [Just Russia Sergei] Mironov will be followed by’some organizational steps.’
In an interview with Vozdukh, Oreshkin stated, “The Kremlin does not wish to speak this phrase, but it tells Kremlin-appointed lawmakers to say it.”
The current situation in Ukraine is unambiguously understood as a military defeat.
If holes need to be filled, then more ammunition is required.
The regime cannot function without some type of mobilization.
He cautioned: ‘The ‘Putin majority,’ 75%, who reportedly favor the military operation, support it theoretically, as long as they can watch it on television while lying on the sofa, and as long as it does not directly affect them […].
“The problem is that this television image diverges more and more from reality.”
The second issue is that a sofa with a long-range weapon begins to crawl out from behind the viewer’s posterior.
Either he or his kid may be summoned, and in exchange he may receive a sack of bones.
Then it’s an entirely new sensation.
People prefer to battle and win, but not at their own expense, concludes the political scientist.
Powerful Putin supporter Radyrov, the Chechen leader, uttered statements a week ago that now appear prophetic: “If you ask me, as Ramzan Kadyrov, I would declare martial law and mobilisation.
Today, Liz Truss will deliver her first speech at the United Nations, where she will pledge to at least match the UK’s £2.3 billion in aid to Ukraine in 2023.
I would begin preparing individuals for martial law.
“We have no idea what will happen tomorrow….
“We must all mobilize without waiting for the state’s leadership to declare mobilization; each region must contribute the forces and resources it possesses.”
Offer whatever assistance they can to our military.
Igor ‘Strelkov’ Girkin, a pro-war extremist who has long argued that the Kremlin’s war plan is flawed, stated, ‘Thank God, finally, someone decided to call the Russian authorities to work instead of the Defense Ministry, because it is evident that the MOD failed in replenishing and will likely not be able to handle mobilisation.’
MPs Dmitry Vyatkin, 48, and Ernest Abdulov, 72, both from the ruling United Russia party, are among the supporters of today’s mobilization initiative.
Vasily Piskarev, 58, Russian Federation; Andrei Kartapoolov, 58, Russian Federation;
Leonid Slutsky, 54, is the leader of the extremist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR).
Also sponsoring was 66-year-old Communist Nikolai Kolomeytsev.
Vladislav Davankov, 38 years old, a New People’s Party member, and
Oleg Nilov, 60, Just Russia; Viktor Sobolev, 72, a former communist army officer and army veteran.
49-year-old Andrei Klishas and 60-year-old Olga Kovitidi supported the mobilization legislation.