Russian President Vladimir Putin is "furious" that his invasion of Ukraine has not been "easy", as Russian forces are unable to take a single major city in three days of fighting, according to a member of the EU parliament, who said That he was citing Ukrainian intelligence reports.
"Putin is furious, thought the whole war would be easy and everything would be done in 1-4 days," Riho Teras, former defense chief of NATO member Estonia, tweeted.
"The Russians are shocked by the fierce resistance they have faced," Teras said. He claimed that the report showed he did not have a "strategic plan" to take back Ukraine, adding that the entire invasion plan would "sow panic among civilians and the armed forces and to kill [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky". depended on being forced to flee."
Terras posted an image of an intelligence report written in Russian that said, "Putin is furious. He was sure it would be a cake walk."
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly become frantic over the failure of his military to control Ukraine. |
US defense officials also said on Saturday that Russian forces were becoming increasingly frustrated with the strength of Ukrainian resistance. Ordinary civilians have joined up with the Ukrainian military, making Molotov cocktails, blocking roads and even shooting at the tires of Russian vehicles to hinder their progress.
Terras cited intelligence reports that the Russian military only has enough rockets for three or four days, and with the new sanctions imposed they will not be able to replace their expired weapons. "There are not enough weapons," said intelligence reports in two different locations.
"If Ukraine manages to lock down the Russians for 10 days, the Russians will have to enter into negotiations," Teras wrote, noting that the war is costing $20 billion a day. "Because they don't have any money, weapons or resources."
According to Terras, Putin was hiding in a "lair in the Urals" and brought Russian oligarchs with him so that they could not flee the country.
Disappointment could be seen for Russian soldiers on the ground as Ukrainians poked fun at their faces on Saturday and posted videos of it online.
It included images of destroyed Russian tanks in the northern part of the country, with some showing that the military equipment was in poor condition even before the start of the fighting.
In a viral clip, Ukrainians are seen mocking Russian soldiers who are stuck on the side of the road outside Kiev near tanks that ran out of gas. "Can I take you back to Russia?" A Ukrainian man offered in the video.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba on Saturday shared a photo of Russian soldiers captured attacking the country and urged their families to "take their people home".
“Mothers, wives, daughters of Russian soldiers! Take your men home,” Kuleba wrote in a translated tweet.
“They had come to a foreign country to kill innocent people, to destroy our homes. Your power is lying. The people of Ukraine meet him not with flowers but with weapons. Demand from the authorities to stop the war of victory, save your loved ones!”
Social media services, including Facebook and Twitter, were blocked or banned inside Russia. Journalists inside the country said Twitter was slow and found it difficult to send news posts. Social media companies, including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram parents Meta and Twitter, said they would block Russian state media from advertising and limit post recommendations from their channels.
Separately, the RIA news agency said the country could confiscate funds from foreigners and foreign companies inside Russia, in retaliation for sanctions and seizures by the US and allies against Russia and individual Russians, including Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is involved.
The US and allies have threatened to take sanctions further and pull Russia out of the key system for global financial transactions called SWIFT, a move that would further disrupt Russia's economy.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council, also said that Moscow does not rule out nationalizing the assets of companies registered in the United States, the European Union and other "unfriendly jurisdictions".
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| According to former Estonian defense chief Riho Teras, Russian President Vladimir Putin estimated that Ukraine would be annexed in a few days. |
Medvedev also threatened that Moscow could reinstate the death penalty after a quarter of a century after Russia was removed from Europe's top human rights organization.
"We are being kicked out, punished and threatened everywhere, but we are not afraid," Medvedev said in a post on a Russian social media site. Past "shameful decision, like a cowardly withdrawal from Afghanistan."
He also threatened that Russia could pull out of a nuclear arms control treaty with the US signed in 2010 that set strict limits on the country's arsenal, and even to cut diplomatic ties with Western nations. .
"There is no special need to maintain diplomatic relations," said Medvedev. "We can see each other with binoculars and gunlight."
Russia's state communications watchdog also issued a warning to independent media outlets that they would be shut down if they distributed information about the fighting that deviated from the official line.