Experts on Russian state television have suddenly shown themselves “concerned” about developments on the battlefield in Ukraine in recent days. While it previously sounded full of conviction that the Ukrainian troops were incompetent and that the Russian victory would not be long in coming, the recent Ukrainian successes seem to cast doubt.
According to the American news site ‘The Daily Beast’, it appears that state television is preparing the public for news about possible losses in Ukraine. According to sources in Ukraine, home troops yesterday managed to recapture the strategically important city of Balakliia and 700 square kilometers of land in the east and south of the country.
Suddenly the opponent is described by the experts on Russian TV as a terrifying “horde”. “We wish our fighters courage. They do very important work. They are resisting a huge horde trained in the West,” host Evgeny Popov said on ’60 Minutes’ on Wednesday.
Americans
Retired Russian Lieutenant General Evgeny Buzhinsky says the Ukrainian army is getting the help of countless Americans. “I think there are thousands of American advisers and specialists on the ground in Ukraine. They are probably present in every unit.”
The well-known presenter Vladimir Solovyov also said on Wednesday during his weekly radio show that he was “worried”. “Of course we want our guys to crush the others and just move forward, but life doesn’t work that way,” he said, a big departure from his normal rhetoric.
On his television show that same evening, he again tried to minimize his concerns, but Russian military and MP Andrey Gurulyov did not agree. “I believe we are dealing with a difficult situation on one of our fronts. Ukrainians have concentrated their assault forces there and have begun advancing. We need time to get everything back in order. The situation is not easy. Were mistakes made? Yes, probably. You cannot avoid mistakes in life or in war.”
Panic
Remarkably, several shows referred to social media unrest in Russia. “The panic is not fueled by Ukraine or the West, but by our own social media channels,” said Russian military expert Mikhail Onufrienko. “Apart from that, this is objectively the most successful rebel advance since February 24. We clearly don’t have enough troops to contain them.”
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