Leaks on Social Media: Putin Asks Shoigu to Account for the War
Putin-Shoigu Meeting Leaked to the Press
Video link: https://t.me/rusyaukraynaz/3757
The Russia-Ukraine War has been going on since February 24, 2022. The capital of Ukraine has not fallen yet, and although the Russians have achieved regional successes, there are numerous assessments that they have deviated from the original plan of action. Against the Russian Army, which has an asymmetrical, in other words, a disproportionate advantage, against the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian resistance initiated by the Ukrainian civilians alongside the soldiers leads to successful results that will surprise the Russians from time to time. Ultimately, it prolongs the war.
Putin does not hide his anger at Shoigu
It is seen that this bewilderment, even anger, is reflected in the dialogue between Russian Federation President Putin and Defense Minister Sergey. Recently, the propaganda war between the parties has been at its peak. For example, in a live broadcast, behind the announcer talking about a tragedy in the war in front of countless body bags, it was seen that some body bags were opened during the shooting and the corpses were 'moving'. This conversation allegedly between Putin and Sergey is shared on social media. Undoubtedly, it may be possible to analyze the accuracy of such speeches only by using a good sound analysis program. A very precise comparison of the spectra can reveal whether the speech is real or not. Let's still accept this conversation as "real" and go over it.
Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation and Other Key Names
Sergey Shoigu, who was appointed as the Minister of Defense by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2012, is an experienced statesman who is 67 years old today. Before becoming Minister of Defense, he served as the Russian Minister of Emergencies for 18 years without interruption.
It is rumored that Shoigu was born in the Tuva region of Russia, where Turks live, to a Tuvalu father and a Russian mother. He graduated from Krasnoyarsk Polytechnic Institute as a civil engineer in 1977 and became a member of the Communist Party in 1988. In 1999, he joined Putin's party, United Russia. The Russian Minister, who served the state throughout his life, is someone who has managed to have a fortune estimated at $40 million and said to be Russia's most valuable "sword" collection. It is stated that Shoigu played an important role in the great change in Russia's military power, especially in its successes in the Syrian field of operations.
In the Russian Federation, the Minister of Defense is known as the person with the highest authority to exercise day-to-day administrative and operational powers over the Armed Forces on behalf of the Russian Government. The General Staff, the executive organ of the Ministry of Defense, acts in accordance with the instructions and orders of the Minister of Defense regarding the operation.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Armed Forces and the First Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia Valeri Vasilyevich Gerasimov is the same age as Shoigu, and he was appointed to this position by Putin in 2012. He is known as the person behind the Russian hybrid warfare approach.
Medvedev is a lawyer. Between 1991-1996, he managed the commercial and real estate relations of the Saint Petersburg Municipality with foreign companies. During this period, he became one of Putin's closest colleagues. After his success at Gazprom, he was appointed as the 1st Deputy Prime Minister by Putin in 2005. Medvedev, who was the Russian President in the interim period after Putin, who presided over two terms, was later appointed as the prime minister. He is currently known as the highest level person in charge of security affairs in Russia.
Putin-Shoigu Meeting Leaked on Social Media
It is understood that the conversation between Putin and Sergey Shoigu probably took place on Monday, March 7, in the evening. Presumably, Putin, who had a 90-minute video-teleconference with Macron in the afternoon of the same day, must have seen Macron as the leader who will find himself at odds with the Western world, and this is reflected in the Putin-Shoigu meeting below.
Putin: Sergey, tell me, do I need to take action (against this bad course of my life)? Say (come on), we already took the necessary precautions (even if you didn't tell me). (Shoigu tries to intervene but is interrupted by Putin). I am asking again. Do I need to take precautions?.. We talked and discussed this issue in detail (with you and other friends) yesterday... Yesterday we (we discussed and agreed on) Gerasimov's revised plan yesterday (Chief of the General Staff). What is stopping you (now) stopping you? The SVR (Foreign intelligence service) reports to me (on the course of the war) every hour. Don't make me boil the same soup again (Russian idiom). From you... I'm asking you a lot.
Shoigu: Everything is going as planned. We created six out of 10 rings. We went to four areas. Question in the south… (conversation cut off here)
Putin: You have two days. (Only) Two! You have two days from today! Do you understand?
Shoigu: 80% points in Odessa in the southern region…
Putin: Never mind the south. It's the second phase! It's not your priority! In the talks tomorrow... Do you understand? The economy is over. It's over! We are back 20 years ago, our economy has regressed. Your plan has already cost 1,000 times more. Millions of times! Where is the result? Not only that. According to Medvedev, this is a complete retreat.
Shoigu: I was in contact with him (Medvedev) at night. (Putin interrupts).
Putin: We retreated! (According to Medvedev on the battlefield). Well, we discussed it. Everyone knows that we are no longer in the initial plan.
Shoigu: He (Medvedev) does not know. Obviously suspicious. But...
Putin: Yes, then why are you ironing my head? What is this fuss? With what do you go to bilateral negotiations, Sergey?
Shoigu: I'll handle it! (I will!) Very hard fights! The plan to form 10 rings is in two strengths... two or three days...
Putin: Which three! Are you, you, crawling?
Shoigu: Vladimir Vladimirovic, we have the resistance and the people before us...
Putin: Elvira (Economic Advisor) is a hundred times tougher than you! You and Gerasimov have been crawling for a week now. Gerasimov mutters, and you crawl! Elvira and Mishustin (Prime Minister) are tearing themselves up for us to do something! But you (for some reason) don't tear yourself apart. Tear yourself. Or we will tear it!
Shoigu: We are now putting the reserve units (back forces) on the field. We know that we cannot afford to make mistakes. Pantsir..
Putin: This is very surprising. I will invite you to the next meeting with the French. Everyone is very angry. Can you ditch them? Can you all clarify everything? Didn't you know about Babi Yar (the museum of Jewish heritage that was shot)? Finished! We are (all) fascists now. The whole world thinks so. Is that what you want, Sergey? What's going on? The third phase (of the operation) must be over before the negotiations are over! The third phase should be finished as solid as concrete and iron! Do you understand?
Shoigu: Vladimir Vladimirovic, I understood it all. I will do.
….
The part of the meeting between the two reflected on social media ends here.
Babi Yar
Babi Yar (Ukrainian: Babyn Yar; Russian: Babiy Yar) is the name of the event that went down in history as the Babi Yar Massacre, when 33,771 Jews were murdered in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1941, as part of the Holocaust. Babi Yar, known as the most important Holocaust monument in Ukraine, was announced to the world by Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky's presidential office, who is also Jewish, as "Babi Yar was attacked with a missile."
Macron's Influence on Putin
Putin and Macron exchanged views over the phone four times since the start of the operation on February 24, 2022. The last meeting took place on Monday, March 7, in the afternoon. The two leaders discussed the fate of Ukraine and the future of war in this 90-minute phone call.
Macro, regarding his meeting with Putin, stated that he "demands Putin to end attacks targeting civilians, protect civilian infrastructure, and allow a safe route for civilians to leave Kiev."
In a statement made after this meeting, the Kremlin reiterated that the Russian President's demands for Ukraine should be met before a possible solution. Alongside a neutral status for Ukraine, Moscow wants Ukraine to disarm, end the practices of Nazism, and recognize Russian control over Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula seized by Russia in 2014.
Russian troops are trying to penetrate deep into Ukraine. Meanwhile, Macron is prominent among the Western leaders with whom Putin continues bilateral talks (the others are President Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett). Although Macron's diplomatic efforts to prevent the war have failed, he continues to pressurize Putin. Because of his contacts with Putin, Macron's comments on what Putin wants to do are accepted in the Western media. Macron's determination to maintain channels of communication with Putin partially provides Western allies with a glimpse of the Russian leader's mood, the battlefield, and Russia's possible intentions. Putin reportedly told Macron that the military operation in Ukraine was "going as planned" and will "continue to the end".
Putin. He said that he would achieve "the neutralization and disarmament of Ukraine" with his army.
The Russian Army First Trying to Connect the Broken Links
Yes, the Russian army actually continues to advance in four directions. Trying to connect the broken rings.
The first axis: in the north is the Kyiv axis through Belarus. Russian troops have not yet entered Kiev, but news has begun to come that Russian troops have begun to take up positions in the northern outskirts.
Second axis: Karkiv axis in the northeast. This region, which is between the Donbas region and Kyiv, stands out as one of the important resistance points that slowed the advance of the Russian army towards the West.
Third axis: The eastern Donbas axis. It is the region where the minority of Russian origin constitutes the majority of the population and on the basis of this, the Russians wanted to be an autonomous, or rather a Russian republic for the people of this region, and just before the start of the war, it declared that it recognized the republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in this region.
The fourth axis is the Crimean axis in the south, on the Black Sea coast. Mariupol, the most important port city in the Azov Sea between this region and the Donbas, was largely captured by the Russian forces and the rebels in the Donbas. There have been some humanitarian dramas, and there have been difficulties in establishing a safe road. Although the Crimean-Donbas ring was successfully established by the Russian army, the Russian army and navy have not yet launched the expected attack on Odessa, which is the most important port city on the Black Sea coast in the west of Crimea in this region. A large amount of intelligence information that the preparations have been completed is shared in open sources, especially by the Americans and the British. A landing in Odessa is likely this week.
In this context, the current summary of the operation is as follows:
The Russian Armed Forces destroyed many military and sometimes civilian facilities of Ukraine. According to Russian sources, approximately 2,581 military facilities of Ukraine (command control facilities, S-300 positions, anti-aircraft and missile defense facilities, radar stations, military bases, etc.) have been destroyed so far.
Conclusion
Contrary to expectations, in this war that started on February 24, the Russians were able to advance very slowly, tried to carry out the war with an attitude far from a coordinated operation, there was communication and disconnection between the troops, they could not use their armored units effectively, they tried to use the Air Force with a performance far behind its known success in Syria, and It is understood that a large number of aircraft and helicopters have been lost, and that the navy has not yet made a presence but is in preparation for an amphibious operation.
Meanwhile, the resistance of Ukrainian civilians slowed down the Russian army. The principle of not harming civilians was also reflected in Shoigu's speech with Putin and affected the course of the operation. In the meantime, the Russian army's intentional or unintentional targeting of facilities (places of worship, hospitals, schools, cemeteries, areas with spiritual value, symbolic monuments, etc.) similar to Babi Yar, which have spiritual significance and should not be targeted in wars, has made Putin confrontational with the Western world. It has put him in a rather troubled and delicate situation. It is said that Putin, who is the language of the insurgents and the European population, with definitions such as fascist, tyrant, war criminal, has already gone down in history as a new Hitler. It seems so.
