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Russia The keys to the Russian nuclear order
Vladimir Putin is ready to empty Russia's pockets to defeat its neighbor Ukraine, the poorest country in Europe.
The Russian president has promised to give his armed forces whatever they ask to support the military campaign: without financial limits.
He has so far given the green light to a plan to increase the size of the Russian armed forces by more than 30%.
Putin added that Russia will also
"improve the combat readiness of our nuclear triad
," referring to the fields of land, sea and air.
The Russian president met with senior defense commanders to set military targets for the coming year and assess the conflict in Ukraine.
Putin sees it as possible for Russia to achieve "all the objectives" of what he calls the "special military operation" in Ukraine without militarizing the country.
On Putin's table is the proposal to carry out an offensive in the middle of winter.
An issue that, according to US sources, right now divides Putin's entourage between realists and others who demand a tougher approach.
In the meeting, which had a televised part, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed to strengthen the armed forces from 1.15 million to 1.5 million combat troops.
At least 695,000 of the fighters should be professional contract soldiers, not conscripts doing compulsory military service.
Shoigu denounced that the West seeks to prolong the war actions in Ukraine as long as possible in order to weaken Russia, the minister said.
As part of the 'show', Putin repeated for viewers that the battlefield losses in Ukraine were "a tragedy" and that he continues to see the Ukrainian people as a "fraternal nation".
Putin again referred to "enemies of Russia" who want to see the country disintegrate.
"I have said on numerous occasions and I have written in my articles that our opponents for centuries had as their objective the disintegration, the weakening and the disintegration of our country," denounced the president.
With that approach he repeated the assertion that
Russia was forced to launch a military action in Ukraine due to what he called "provocations" by the West
, which has been interfering for years in what Putin considers a zone of Russian influence.
"They started to carry out brainwashing in the countries of the post-Soviet space and, above all, in Ukraine. Moreover, they did it quite successfully and they were well prepared to do it," Putin said.
FRESH MEAT FOR THE FRONT
Just like in World War II, Moscow hopes to drown the enemy with a large number of soldiers.
Putin already signed a decree this summer ordering to increase the number of troops by 137,000 people as of January 1, 2023, with the idea of reaching the figure of 1.15 million soldiers.
In parallel,
he has also recruited more than 300,000 reservists
in a controversial mobilization campaign to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The war is dragging on and Moscow needs to plug the holes.
The Russian government recently estimated that 5,937 Russian soldiers have been killed in the war.
US and Western military analysts say that tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have actually been killed in the past 10 months.
The Russians now fear another draft, although Putin has said in recent remarks that there will be no need.
Russia has not yet deployed all of its recruits, some mobilized are still training.
And kyiv fears that Moscow will opt for an attack from the north, from Belarus.
This time even involving Belarusian soldiers.
To this day there are conflicting views in Putin's entourage on whether to launch a winter offensive in Ukraine, which for its part has warned of a new Russian attempt to seize kyiv.
The Russian elite is divided on whether to take those risks.
"Certainly I think there are some who would want to launch offensives in Ukraine. There are others who have real questions about Russia's ability to do that," a senior US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
To improve performance on the battlefield, Putin believes that Russia needs to take note of the importance of drones in the conflict, which has lasted for ten months.
Russia will soon use a new ace up its sleeve.
The Russian Sarmat hypersonic missile, designated 'Satan II' by NATO
.
It looks like the penultimate Russian war toy will be ready for deployment in the near future.
And Ukraine will probably be the place to release it.
AGAIN FOR kyiv
Ukrainian military leaders have warned that Moscow is preparing for a major winter offensive, including an attempt to seize kyiv once the ground freezes.
Russia failed to enter the capital after invading on February 24 despite predictions from many quarters of a quick victory.
The new Ukrainian warnings come as the United States prepares new military aid
.
Putin seems to need a Moscow-aligned Ukraine after completing his legacy.
Continuing with his recurring list of grievances, he denounced again that after the disintegration of the USSR Russia intended to become "a part of the so-called civilized world", but was not allowed to do so "despite all efforts and attempts". .
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