Let's see whose Central Bank boss is quitting... Russian Central Bank Chief Tried to Quit Over Ukraine War Respected official is left to steer the economy through harsh sanctions https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia...ver-ukraine-war-11648156812?mod=hp_lista_pos4
Russian military leader brands Ukraine invasion a failure as Putin's grip unravels Former Russian spy, Igor Girkin, made the astonishing comments on live Russian television as he slammed Putin's invasion for failing to make any strategic successes https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russian-military-leader-brands-ukraine-26572036 A Russian military leader has branded the Ukraine invasion a failure on live TV, as Putin's grip on his troops unravels. Commander Igor Girkin, also known by his military alias Igor Strelkov, admitted that Vladimir Putin had failed to achieve strategic success anywhere in Ukraine so far. Since launching their attack last month, Russia has been unable to capture the capital of Kyiv or make significant advances with the UK's Ministry of Defence calling the battlefield in the north of the country "largely static". But in a shocking admission on live Russian television, the army veteran and former FSB officer Mr Girkin predicted an "exhausting and bloody" war for the Russian Federation. He told OSN TV: "29 days of 'special military operation' have passed. "Nowhere, in any direction, has strategic success been achieved, but only operational successes. "Moreover, the enemy is relatively successful in mobilising and beginning to counterattack. "This, of course, Konashenkov never mentions in his reports." Major General Igor Konashenkov is the chief spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Defence and deliveries regular televised updates of the progress of Russia's invasion. The former Russia spy agent added: "Unfortunately, I can state that my most pessimistic predictions that we will be drawn into a bloody, push and pull, long, exhausting and extremely dangerous war for the Russian Federation, have been fully justified at the moment." Mr Girkin played a key role in the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and later led the separatist armed forces of the Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine, The Express reports. Giorgi Revishvili, a defence expert at King's College London, tweeted: "Infamous Igor Girkin (Strelkov) admitted that Russia failed to achieve any strategic goal in Ukraine, only has couple of operational success. "He also noted that the Ukrainian forces effectively mobilised resources, timely regrouped and started counter-attacks." Last week, Mr Girkin's adviser, Igor Druz, warned that President Putin could be forced to resign if he fails to take Ukraine. He wrote: “I hope that the Ukrainian tragedy will neither become the tragedy of Russia nor the personal tragedy of Putin."
Russia plans a ‘Korean scenario’ for Ukraine: Intelligence chief Ukraine’s military intelligence chief says Russia will try to divide Ukraine into two separate regions as the Russian advance on Kyiv stalls. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/27/russia-is-considering-a-korean-scenario-for-ukraine Russia is considering “a Korean scenario” for Ukraine and splitting the country in two after failing to seize the capital Kyiv and overthrow its government, the Ukrainian military intelligence chief has said. Russian President Vladimir Putin “will try to impose a dividing line between the unoccupied and occupied regions of our country”, General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ministry of Defence’s Intelligence Directorate, said on Sunday as reported by the ministry’s Telegram account. “It is an attempt to create North and South Korea in Ukraine. After all, he is definitely not in a position to swallow the whole country,” Budanov said. The two Koreas are still technically at war after a 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, sealing the division of their peninsula with an impenetrable border. Their border is a 4km (2.4-mile) wide by 248km (154-mile) long area known as the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). After more than four weeks of conflict, Russia has failed to seize any major Ukrainian city, and Moscow signalled on Friday that it was scaling back its ambitions to focus on securing the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian army for the past eight years. “The occupiers will try to unite the occupied territories into a single quasi-state entity, which will oppose independent Ukraine,” said Budanov, the intelligence chief. “We are already seeing attempts to create ‘parallel’ authorities in the occupied territories and force people to give up the Ukrainian currency.” A local leader in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic said the region could soon hold a referendum on joining Russia, just as happened in Crimea after Russia seized the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014. Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to break with Ukraine and join Russia – a vote that much of the world refused to recognise. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson also dismissed talk of any referendum in eastern Ukraine. “All fake referendums in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void and will have no legal validity,” Oleg Nikolenko told the news agency Reuters. Budanov also said Russia was trying to install a land corridor to Crimea, but the plan had been so far prevented by Russia’s failure to capture the port city of Mariupol. The city on the Sea of Azov has been encircled by Russian troops for more than three weeks and faced relentless bombardment, but Mariupol authorities last week rejected an ultimatum from Russian forces for the city’s defenders to lay down their arms.
Was it confirmed they were poisoned and by whom? It would seem prudent to wait and see how this develops before stating to the world with certainty and then having to eat your words (not like this has stopped you a hundred times before, though). Its certainly possible. GWB: Often wrong, but never in doubt. That'll be on your tombstone.
If there was any way to believe that this was a valid and fair vote that went u nmanipulated by Putin as he does in his own election then the people of Crimea can freely choose to be part of Russia if that is what they want. Big IF there and the idea of a fair vote in Ukraine where Russians control through military the eastern portion of the country is ridiculous.
Maybe you need to go read the Wall Street Journal article. Are you claiming the Wall Street Journal is not a respected mainstream news source?
I'm not claiming that at all. I'm claiming the word the WSJ used (which is in your post) is "suspected" poisoning. And you're stating it as a certainty.
So who else are you going to claim poisoned them. Of I know... the Russian propagandists will shortly claim they poisoned themselves. Let's start a count down until this is pushed by the Kremlin lovers 3, 2, 1...