“We have lost the real war”

At the front, things are not going well for Vladimir Putin’s (70) troops. It seems that the Russian forces have not yet recovered from the bitter defeat at Kherson. Instead of striking back, they continue to take cover and even prepare for further setbacks. This is reported by the British secret service.

Continued failures at the front, the withdrawal from Kherson, declining morale: the impression is growing that Russia has a poor chance of winning the war. Apparently that is also the opinion of large parts of the Russian elite, according to the news portal Meduza, which is critical of the Kremlin. For many it is clear: “We have lost the real war.”

withdrawal from Kherson was a disgrace

The sources of the news portal are people close not only to the Kremlin in general, but also to the Russian presidential administration. You describe the withdrawal from strategically important Kherson as a “very painful event”. According to a politician from the nationalist-conservative United Russia party, the population considers the incident in Kherson “an embarrassment and a consequence of the confusion in the state”.

In view of the increasing number of military defeats, the Russian elite is increasingly concerned and also questions “the complete restraint of the country’s top leadership”. «We are not aware of anything, we learn a lot from the news, both from Ukraine and from the West. It seems like we are constantly making concessions and still trying to hide it,” a pro-government source told the portal.

A businessman from the Kremlin ruler Putin’s inner circle goes even further: “There is agreement that we have lost the actual war.” People would start thinking about how they want to live their lives, what place they want to be in the future, what kind of missions they want to do. The informant is also sure: “There will certainly be voices of revenge – that is, people who want to take violent revenge for the military defeat.” The demand for normalization and stabilization is also to be expected.

The Kremlin hopes that consensus will collapse in the West

According to the news portal, representatives of the presidential administration’s policy are more optimistic. The Kremlin still hopes that the consensus in the West will “sink in Ukraine’s favour” over the energy crisis. Others in the Russian government foresee a dramatic change in Ukraine – such as the resignation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44). Such a change could then play into the hands of the Kremlin. According to Meduza, it remains unclear how the informants arrived at such scenarios.

In addition, it is hoped that further mobilization will make the Russian army more decisive and that the tide on the battlefield can be turned again. (dzc)