Some in the elite fear the invasion was a catastrophic mistake — but say the Russian president won't relent and is in no danger of losing power.
As seen from the air, the massive Komodor logistics park lies in ruins, after being bombed and burnt during the Russian invasion on April 19, 2022 near Makariv, Ukraine. The attack in early March destroyed some $50 million of medicines and medical raw materials for Ukrainian pharmaceutical company Farmac, according to Forbes. Losses for other tenants of the 400,000 square meter facility are yet unknown.
Some said they increasingly share the fear voiced by U.S. intelligence officials that Putin could turn to a limited use of nuclear weapons if faced with failure in a campaign he views as his historic mission. The skeptics were surprised by the speed and breadth of the response by the U.S. and its allies, with sanctions freezing half of the central bank’s $640 billion in reserves and foreign companies ditching decades of investment to shut down operations almost overnight, as well as the steadily expanding military support for Kyiv that’s helping its forces to blunt the Russian advance.
The president remains confident that the public is behind him, with Russians ready to endure years of sacrifice for his vision of national greatness, they said. With the help of tough capital controls, the ruble has recovered most of its initial losses and while inflation has spiked, economic disruption remains relatively limited so far.
The critics see no sign that Putin is yet ready to consider cutting short the invasion given the losses or making the serious concessions needed to reach a cease-fire. Given his total domination of the political system, alternative views take root only in private. Inside the main successor to the KGB, the Federal Security Service, frustration with the failure of the invasion so far is growing, according to Andrei Soldatov, an expert on the Russian security services. Others there had expected the fighting would last no more than a few weeks, according to people familiar with the situation.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Business Maverick: Russia Defies Most Dire Economic Forecasts Despite Looming RecessionRussia’s economic crisis has lost some of its sting, buying more time for President Vladimir Putin at home as his military presses a new offensive in its war against Ukraine.
Read more »
Europe expects to pay bulk of Ukraine’s reconstruction costsRebuilding war-shattered Ukraine likely to cost hundreds of billions of euros
Read more »
Lithuania outlaws use of letter ‘Z’ in publicParliament votes for zero tolerance of symbols used by Russia in its war against Ukraine
Read more »
Lithuania outlaws use of letter ‘Z’ in publicParliament votes for zero tolerance of symbols used by Russia in its war against Ukraine
Read more »
Ukraine crisis: Lithuania bans using letter ‘Z’ as show of support for Russia’s war in UkraineVILNIUS, April 19 (Reuters) - Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday voted to ban public displays of the letter 'Z', the black and orange ribbon of St George, and other symbols seen as expressing support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Read more »
This is what Russia's invasion of Ukraine looks like on the Kremlin's most popular TV channel | BusinessinsiderThe way that Russia's Channel One has covered the Ukraine invasion has been at odds with reporting from the ground.
Read more »