Follow

"Failure of the system." Russian elites perceived the invasion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a blow to Putin's reputation

The breakthrough of Ukrainian military units into the Kursk region and their advance over the course of four days left high-ranking government officials and businessmen close to the Kremlin in a state of shock. At the same time, just recently, representatives of the bureaucratic and business elite were talking about Vladimir Putin organizing military operations in neighboring NATO countries and capturing cities like Narva, Estonia.

"This is a very big blow to the reputation of the Russian authorities, the military, and Putin. Because for two and a half years, Russian territory, with the exception of the occupied territories [in Ukraine], suffered minimal damage. It was only from drones," a major Russian businessman told The Washington Post. — And now it is unclear how many victims there were, there is destruction, and it is obvious that they [the authorities, the military] are not able to stop it quickly.” This is indeed a blow, since it is clear that the leadership received a signal from intelligence, but “measures were not taken,” says political scientist Sergei Markov, close to the Kremlin: “This is a failure of the entire intelligence system, and since Putin is responsible for this, it is clear that this is a blow to Putin.”

@ukrainejournal

Sign in to participate in the conversation
Qoto Mastodon

QOTO: Question Others to Teach Ourselves
An inclusive, Academic Freedom, instance
All cultures welcome.
Hate speech and harassment strictly forbidden.