Putin to impose martial law on Russia amid fears he will launch an all-out war against Ukraine, US intelligence warns
Vladimir Putin looked frail during the Victory Day celebration in Moscow.
Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP / Getty Images
Vladimir Putin is willing to impose martial law in Russia if he cannot achieve his military goals in Ukraine, warned US security and intelligence commanders.
The Russian leader may become more unpredictable as he intensifies the conflict in Ukraine, as revealed by Avril Haines, director of US National Intelligence, in front of the Senate of her country
.
Vladimir Putin is prepared for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine, betting that Russia is more willing and able to endure the longer-term effects of the war than Moscow’s adversaries, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told senators on Tuesday. https://t.co/FxX2ljkUpu—The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 11, 2022
Haines stated that Putin’s goals exceed his country’s military capabilities.
That “probably means that in the coming months we could move on a more unpredictable and potentially scalable trajectory “, said.
“The current trend increases the probability that the president Putin resorts to more drastic means, including the imposition of martial law, the reorientation of industrial production, or potentially scalable military options to free up the resources necessary to achieve his goals.”
Haines added that Putin could, in the worst case, order the use of a nuclear weapon if he believes that Russia is facing a “threat”. existential naza”.
Haines’ statement comes as some pro-Kremlin news sources criticized the Russian leader’s brutal war in public for the first time. once.
The Lenta news website, which normally supports Putin, published several articles against the war that coincided with the Victory Day Parade in Moscow.
Monday’s commemorations to remember the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany were intended to be a double celebration of the victory in Ukraine, however, the Russian troops remain bogged down and their advance is paralyzed.
In a move almost unheard of in Russia, 20 articles, which were withdrawn several hours later, accused the Russian leader of lying about the conflict in Ukraine and branded him a “pathetic dictator and paranoid”.
The two journalists behind the articles, Egor Polyakov and Alexandra Miroshnikova, told the British newspaper The Guardian that their actions were “the only right thing” to do.
Polyakov, a 30-year-old business reporter, said: “This is not what the Day is about. Victory. Ordinary people are dying, peaceful women and children are dying in Ukraine”.
“Given the rhetoric we have seen, this is not going to stop We cannot accept this any longer”.
His articles also exposed Russia’s alleged war crimes in Mariupol, which have gone largely unreported in the country, and accused his army of leaving dead bodies behind soldiers in Ukraine.
Other articles accused the Russian Ministry of Defense of lying to the relatives of those killed in the sinking of the flagship Moskva war, and said that Putin has unleashed “one of the bloodiest wars of the 21st century”.
Another article says: “Putin has to go He has unleashed a senseless war and is leading Russia into the abyss.”
The 20 articles were removed and replaced by previously approved pro-Kremlin notes, but critical articles can still be accessed via web archives.
All articles contained a disclaimer stating that they were “not approved by leadership” and urged readers to “take a screenshot” before they were removed.
In another sign that cracks are appearing in the wall of support for Putin, one of his slavishly devoted propagandists has admitted that the Russian military is incapable of driving Ukrainian forces out of the east from the country.
Speaking from Donetsk in a video shared on social media, war reporter Aleksandr Sladkov said Russian forces s were not making progress in Donbas.
He also called Putin’s so-called special military operation “shamefully indecisive” and said the Russian military is “doing a feat out of something that should be routine”. favor of the Kremlin on the deployment of Putin’s forces.
But Monday’s video marked a drastic change in tone and seemed to back up what top US officials have been saying about a change in Russian strategy.
On Monday, a Pentagon report claimed that even some Russian officers are now disobeying military orders.
Russia currently has about 97 tactical battle groups in Ukraine , mainly in the east and south, each consisting of about 1,000 soldiers.
One stop US official, speaking about the report, said that Russia’s efforts to focus on seizing Donbas have stalled in recent days.
While Meanwhile, Putin’s triumphalist Victory Day parade turned into a wet mess, with the leader of 30 years looking frail under a blanket, while the number of troops was greatly reduced due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
In a humiliating update, it was revealed that parade air passes were canceled after Russia lost approx 200 fighter jets in Ukraine . It had originally been claimed that the overflights were canceled due to excessive turbulence over the skies over Moscow.
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