If there were any doubts, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tried to clear them up. The question he was asked was quite straightforward: would Russia have reasons to use nuclear weapons to defend annexed territories? Lavrov was clear. Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia are the four regions that will be “referred to” and, if annexed, will be under Russia’s “full protection”. And the explanation is simple: “All laws, principles, concepts and strategies of the Russian Federation apply throughout the territory”.
Lavrov reinforced the idea by insisting that Russian territory – including territory that would be “further embodied” in Russia’s constitution in the future – is “under the full protection of the state.”
War rhetoric is rising in tone, and this was even more evident in White House security adviser Jack Sullivan’s statements to CBS, which reinforced a point already made by US President Joe Biden. Catastrophic consequences for Moscow if Putin orders the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
“We communicated directly from the Kremlin, personally and at the highest level, that any use of nuclear weapons would have consequences for Russia, and that the United States and its allies would respond decisively. We were clear and specific about what that meant. This would mean“, he said.
Sullivan underscored the warning that “the use of nuclear weapons for the first time since World War II would be a very serious matter.”
British Prime Minister Liz Truss argued yesterday that “what we need to do is continue to impose economic sanctions on Russia” and not listen to the “noise and false threats of loans”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said moments later in an interview with CBS that he did not know if Putin was speaking. “Maybe yesterday. Now it might be true. He likes to scare.”
The White House security adviser, who has vowed that the Russian president’s nuclear threats will not deter military and political support for Ukraine, sees Putin as a “dangerous adversary capable of such brutality” that he could even use the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant as a weapon. weapon”, referring to Russia’s “constant provocations” that “there could be some sort of accident”.
Is there a military collapse of Russian troops on the ground? Sullivan is cautious. “It’s too early for predictions. We see signs of fighting among the Russians, the soldiers don’t want to fight. But who can blame them for not wanting to participate in Putin’s war in Ukraine?”
Recent reports of thousands of Russians “escaping” refusing to be drafted and crossing the border into Georgia, Finland, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, queuing for tens of thousands of kilometers. In a border area in Aldenbulak, Mongolia, more than 3,000 Russians have already managed to escape partial mobilization, but there are still “long lines of cars”. In addition to the protests in Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala – which saw a total of more than 2,000 arrests across Russia – areas along the border with Georgia and Azerbaijan blocked roads.
Putin’s “invitation” has already led Valentina Matviyenko, head of the Upper House of the Federation Council, to criticize the recruitment as “completely unacceptable”, prompting a “strong reaction from society”. In the notice sent to the regional governors, it was demanded that “the implementation of the mobilization should be carried out fully and completely as per the described criteria. Without a single error.”
Vyacheslav Volodin, a spokesman for the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, said he was receiving “complaints” and that “mistakes must be corrected. Officials at all levels must understand what their responsibilities are.”
The partial demobilization ordered by Putin has already forced the elderly and sick to present themselves for military training. For example, in the Volgograd region, a 63-year-old ex-soldier was sent to a military training camp despite his health problems, including cerebral palsy.
On the battlefield, with the arrival of autumn and the first rains, an additional difficulty now arises. Muddy roads impeded the advance of tanks and heavy artillery, limiting the Ukrainian counterattack. Affects one side as “battlefields freeze” with the arrival of winter. According to the Institute for the Study of War, there is a race against the clock on both sides because the conditions of the war will soon become very dire.
Yesterday, the day the German government proposed that European citizens be barred from holding positions in Russian state-owned companies as part of the next set of European sanctions against Moscow, the case of Stefan Schaller, director of Energy Waldeck-Frankenberg (the EWF, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany called by Putin to “observe” the referendums). “Fire Stephen Schaller,” he asked the company’s executive.
Putin’s guest, who was already a “spectator” at Comey (in 2021), said he was “impressed by the transparency of the process” and that “people are not forced to vote by force of arms. Well-organized people and people are excited about voting”.
Given the level of protests on social media and the level of displeasure in the local political community, the agency today issued a statement condemning the approach of Stephen Shaler, who was fired.
“Russia’s forced referendums in Ukraine are hypocritical and contrary to international law and a pretext for the annexation of occupied territories. We strongly condemn this illegal annexation,” wrote Jürgen van der Horst, chairman of the EWF supervisory board.
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