Putin taunts the West: ‘The myth of the invulnerability of their military technology has disappeared.’ Former Lufthansa chief financial officer illustrates Benko’s risk-taking strategy

This goal has been shattered by the “growing power of our armed forces and weapons production,” Putin said Tuesday in Moscow at a Defense Ministry meeting in the presence of military officials and representatives from politics, the church and society. In the war against Ukraine, “one can say with conviction that the initiative lies with our armed forces,” the Russian president said.

Putin ordered the attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022; As a result, many states sided with the attacked country and supplied it with weapons. The Ukrainian counter-offensive launched in the summer of 2023 to liberate its territory from Russian occupation did not meet the expectations of politicians and civil society. Foreign experts such as the Institute for War Studies (ISW) in the US have recently noted that Russia is gaining ground with its progress.

Putin has recently repeatedly stated that the Ukrainian armed forces’ counteroffensive has failed. “The enemy is suffering heavy losses and has used up a significant part of its reserves,” the 71-year-old said. “The myth of the invulnerability of Western military technology has also collapsed.” In a minute’s silence, Putin commemorated the Russian soldiers who had died during the fighting. He did not provide figures on the losses.

Shoigu announces more contract soldiers

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the meeting that Ukraine has now lost 383,000 soldiers to death or injury in the war. Ukraine, in turn, currently reports losses in Russian ranks at 348,000 soldiers. The information cannot be verified. Neither warring side has released official figures on its own losses.

Shoigu also said that the number of volunteers should increase by more than 250,000 in the coming year to about 745,000 contract soldiers. Russians are still lured into military service with a relatively high salary of about 2,000 euros per month. “The main goal for the coming year is to continue the special military operation until all set tasks are completed,” Minister Shoigu said. According to previous information, the tasks mainly include full control of the previously partially occupied territories of Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhia – and demilitarization of Ukraine.

Putin again blames the US

Putin once again accused the US of pushing the conflict in Ukraine to the point of war. He claimed that the West always only wanted to use the country as a tool to destroy Russia. The US has achieved “its goal”: the breakup of Russia and the EU on the European continent. The Kremlin chief also criticized NATO’s growing activity near Russia’s borders, for example in Finland, which only joined the military alliance in the aftermath of Putin’s war.

Putin also publicly stated that the war against Ukraine exposed problems in Russia’s defense. Russia needs more drones, better air defenses and a modern satellite communications system. At the same time, he praised the modernization of the nuclear power’s strategic weapons. For example, four Tu-160M ​​long-range bombers and four nuclear submarines were put into service. By the end of the year, fifteen new launch complexes for the Yars and Avantgard intercontinental ballistic missiles should be ready for use.

Zelensky disagrees

More than 750 kilometers away, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defended himself against Putin’s role in his own speech. At his major year-end press conference on Tuesday, Zelenskyy referred to the repulsed attacks along the front. “Russia has not achieved any successes this year,” Zelenskyi said in Kiev. For example, Moscow was still unable to fully conquer the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. Instead, Ukraine has largely restored control over the western Black Sea.

Unlike Russia, the issue of mobilizing new soldiers is an expensive and politically sensitive issue, according to Zelensky. “The issue of mobilization is very sensitive,” Zelenskyj said at his press conference. The army has asked for 450,000 new soldiers. Additional mobilization on this scale would require approximately 500 billion hryvnia (12.2 billion euros). For him it is also important which of the soldiers who have fought so far will be entitled to rest and leave. A complex plan is being developed for this rotation.

Trust in Kiev

Moreover, Zelenskyj was confident that his country would continue to receive support from both the US and EU in the future, despite the current freeze on Western aid. “I am confident that the US will not betray us,” he said. The head of state was also optimistic about an EU financial package worth 50 billion euros currently blocked by Hungary: “We will find means to preserve these 50 billion euros.”

Ukraine is largely dependent on military and financial assistance from Western partners to defend itself against Russian invasion. The US is considered the most important ally. From Kiev’s perspective, it is therefore extremely worrying that the release of further funds by the US Parliament is currently blocked by a dispute between Republicans and Democrats.

Meanwhile, Zelensky did not want to confirm predictions that the war in his country would continue for a long time. “I don’t think anyone knows.” The duration of the war depends on many factors, he added, especially the Ukrainians themselves: “If we do not lose our resilience, we are more likely to end the war.”

(dabbing/sda/dpa)