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Vladimir Putin (70) held a press conference on Tuesday in the presence of Russian journalists. Those who listened carefully noticed that the certainty of victory with which Putin normally informs the press has evaporated. Instead, he provides an unusually honest insight into the state of the Russian troops. Blick has listed his most important statements.
Putin admits that his army has already lost 54 tanks during the counter-offensive that has been going on for about ten days. He leaves open what kind of tank it is. Western observers are surprised, as is journalist Kyle Glen Twitter says, “When you consider the losses being downplayed, that’s a remarkable admission.”
The Oryx collective, which documents Russia’s losses since the beginning of the war, is also surprised by the high Russian losses. “So far we have counted only ten tanks lost on the Russian side,” tweet her on Tuesday. Only ten tank losses have also been confirmed on the Ukrainian side – instead of the 160 Putin mentioned in his speech.
Perhaps the biggest admission of weakness, Putin has warned that his armed forces lack the military equipment they need to win the war in Ukraine.
Experts have long speculated about the lack of weapons. Russia’s ammunition shortage is believed to hamper large-scale invasions and deter the Russian military from attacking strategic targets from afar, Politico writes. Putin’s speech on Tuesday now confirms this assumption.
Putin continues that arms production has tripled since the start of the war. Still, production isn’t keeping up – or so it seems. Moreover, it is not possible for Russia to produce better weapons at the moment, as the Russian president admits.
This is confirmed by a report published in April by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Western sanctions prevent Russia from importing the components needed to make advanced weapons. “While the quality of military equipment used by the Ukrainian army continues to improve thanks to Western aid, the quality of Russian weapons continues to decline,” the analysis said.
With this quote, Putin recalls the drone attacks on the Kremlin and all of Moscow carried out in May. Now the air defense system must be turned back. He doesn’t say how. “Of course it would have been better if this had happened on time and at the right level,” he admits. “Nevertheless, this work is being carried out and I repeat it again, I am sure that these tasks will be solved.”
When asked about Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive, Putin seems a bit overwhelmed. Where the certainty of victory usually dominates his words, helplessness spreads. The clear goal that the Kremlin chief had in mind at the beginning of the war seems to have disappeared.
Now “everything depends on the Ukrainian potential after the offensive”. “We will see how the situation develops. Based on this, we will take further steps. We have different plans, depending on the situation, which will evolve when we deem it necessary to act.”
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
