Putin faces tougher-than-expected opposition inside and outside Ukraine

Five days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it appears that things are not going exactly as planned by President Vladimir Putin so far.

Western intelligence officials repeatedly reported over the weekend that Russian forces encountered “harder-than-expected” resistance from a Ukrainian armed force with smaller numbers and weapons.

Russia has so far failed to seize key cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kiev. On Sunday (27), Ukrainian forces repulsed with
successfully a Russian advance into a strategic airfield near Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, which has been under almost constant attack.

In addition to fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces and civilians, the Russian invasion suffered from logistical challenges, with soldiers on the front lines running out of steam.
fuel, ammunition and food.

“They’re having problems,” a NATO source said of Russian forces, pointing to new alliance intelligence data. “They don’t have diesel, they are moving very slowly and morale is obviously an issue.”

But a top US defense official told reporters on Sunday that Russia only used two-thirds of its total combat power to carry out the mission, leaving a significant amount of forces available to press the offensive.

On Monday, a kilometer-long convoy of Russian military vehicles was advancing towards Kiev as the country’s intelligence also suggests that Belarus is prepared to join the Russian invasion, according to a Ukrainian official.

Representatives from Ukraine and Russia met on Monday at the Belarusian border. In these talks, Ukraine will insist on a “cease
immediate fire” and the withdrawal of Russian troops – although, realistically, no one believes that will happen now.

Putin, it seems, not only misjudged Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, he also failed to foresee the difficulty brought about by the international community’s alignment against Russia due to the invasion.

For years, the Russian president has faced very little resistance from the West over his illegal annexation of Crimea – another territory in Ukraine – his brutal support for the Syrian regime and acts of aggression in other countries.

After the annexation, and despite his strong words of condemnation against Putin and his regime, Western countries still bought gas from Russia, offered a safe haven for the country’s oligarchs and maintained relatively normal diplomatic relations with Moscow.

But this time, despite some Western nations being accused of not “hitting” Russia enough, Putin faced a fully united Western alliance. From unprecedented sanctions that are already hurting the Russian economy to the cancellations of sporting events, Russia’s international pariah status becomes more acute by the hour.

The economic pain will only get worse as time passes. The ruble lost about 20% of its value against the dollar on Monday afternoon (28), and Russia’s central bank raised interest rates from 9.5% to 20%, a move that hits the pockets. of Russian citizens.

The same citizens may soon ask us why Putin is risking so much for a war that didn’t need to happen.

Of course, things are very fluid on the spot and can change very quickly. There is little hope that Monday’s talks will produce a de-escalation, and no one expects this war to end in the immediate future – either by force or by agreement. But Putin, having reached this point, is likely to invest more in the attack on Ukraine in the coming days.

However, as the invasion enters its second week, it is impossible to ignore the fact that Putin’s best-established plans have been met with firmer resistance than he – and many of his adversaries – even imagined.

Source: CNN Brasil

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