Here’s How Russia Responds To Kherson’s Withdrawal: Bad Crypto Exchange FTX.com Is Bankrupt – Assets Frozen

On Wednesday, the Russian defense minister ordered a retreat to the left bank of the Dnieper. The decision was tactically justified. Western media see the move as positive for Ukraine; in Russia you would expect otherwise. In fact, the mood in Russia is bleak – even well-known propagandists seem dissatisfied.

“Difficult decision”

On Thursday evening’s talk show “Evening with Vladimir Solovyov”, the said presenter spoke about a difficult decision that the commander of the special operation had to make. It takes a “brave man”. The mood during the show is bleak; Solovyov discusses lost, protracted wars with his guests.

One of the guests speaks of the “great victory” in the First World War, when the country was successfully “liberated”. No, Finland was not lost then, but the Finns gained independence. Solovyov replies that nothing at all has been liberated, won or given away. They just lost, just like in the Russo-Japanese War.

These are unusually clear and harsh words for a top propagandist. Mostly, the Russian story focuses on the glorious past. The fact that Solovyov is now unpacking these rather unpleasant topics could certainly be interpreted as a swipe at Moscow.

By the way, the propaganda should not be missing here either: Defense deliberately waited with the withdrawal. This is not to help the Democrats with the message in the midterms. The question is whether there is really something behind it.

No comment, but a big comment nonetheless

In another talk show from the de facto state broadcaster NTW on Thursday, moderator Norkin refuses to give his own opinion on the subject because: Speaking positively about the withdrawal is considered a call to violate Russian territorial integrity, which is banned. If he speaks negatively, it would be public contempt for the Russian military, which is also prohibited in the same article of the law. Both would lead to years in prison.

With this, Norkin touches on a sensitive topic: the ever-decreasing freedom of expression in Russia. The program then continues in normal sound, but the “damage” has already been done. The translated recording of the incident has been shared more than 1,000 times on Twitter.

Great displeasure among nationalists

The mood in the Russian Telegram is also bad. Major milblog channel Rybar describes the withdrawal as a “sad and frustrating reality”. Such private blogs tend to be more direct and less influenced by propaganda, despite the nationalistic stance. That’s why “Rybar” directly tells readers who is responsible for the loss of “federal territory”: the officials who for years fool the leaders of the country that everything is okay.

Interestingly, the majority of the withdrawal has been criticized from a political point of view, on a tactical level the decision seems to make sense. It is more about the interference of politics, which has now led to the misery.

The photos of the front, which are currently doing the rounds on Twitter and Telegram, should not exactly lift the mood in Russia either. The soldiers hastily left Kherson; there is no sign of the coordinated withdrawal. In a video on his Telegram channel, a Russian soldier grumbles about the equipment they have and the people who want to send the soldiers back to Kherson:

Another video shows soldiers crossing a makeshift bridge on foot. The large bridge has already been rendered useless at this point.