Putin will 'mobilise another 2 million including 300,000 women' and 'impose martial law in Moscow' but may use crackdown to 'bow out in favour of handpicked successor'

Rumours suggest Sergei Kiriyenko, 60, his authoritarian deputy chief of staff and an ex-PM, could replace Putin, while others focus on Dmitry Patrushev, agriculture minister, and son of the president's hardline chief security apparatchik Nikolay Patrushev, who would be power behind the new ruler.

Speculation is swirling in Russia that Vladimir Putin will soon demand a massive new mobilisation drive in a desperate effort to halt calamitous defeats to Ukraine.

It's also been predicted that such a move could be a diversion tactic for Putin to step down and hand over power, with the leader reportedly suffering ill health in recent months.

One version is that he could draft up to two million - including 300,000 women - in an attempt to turn the war into a national crusade.

The move is likely to be coupled with martial law in key cities, including Moscow, say Russian sources.

Such a scenario might act as political cover enabling him to hand over power in the event of worsening health, - observers convinced he is terminally ill -

'Putin considers it 'sufficient' to call up another two million people, of which about 300,000 are women,' alleged General SVR Telegram channel which expects this to be triggered in January.

'A large number of victims among those mobilised, according to the president, will only rally Russian society and strengthen the current regime, and regardless of whether the result will be victory or defeat.'

Putin-watcher Valery Solovey, former professor at Moscow's prestigious Institute of International Relations, said: 'The intention [is] to mobilise not 300,000, 400,000, or 500,000 but, with luck, up to two million people, including 300,000 women after the New Year celebrations.

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/11/ukraine-running-on-empty.html#more

Russia expert Gordon M. Hahn looks at the upcoming Russian Winter Offensive. Only with a ceasefire can Ukraine and its sponsors avert the upcoming catastrophe. This for three reasons:

First, the Russian hammer is about to fall on Ukraine. The gloves are coming off; electric energy stations, bridges, and even ‘decision centers’ such as central Kiev’s government buildings are being targeted. ... What will the sociopolitical situation be like when these critical infrastructures are in complete collapse and temperatures are 20 degrees colder? Russia will be moving closer to the strategy of ‘shock and awe’, fully destroying all infrastructure – military or otherwise – as the US did in Serbia and Iraq and will likely take less care now to avoid civilian casualties.

After the infrastructures are completely destroyed or incapacitated, Russia’s reinforcements of 380,000 regular and newly mobilized troops will have been fully added into Russia’s forces across southeastern Ukraine. ... A winter offensive by some half a million troops will make substantial gains on those three fronts and multiply Ukrainian losses in personnel and materiel`, which are already high. This could lead easily to a collapse of Ukrainian forces on one or more front. On the backs of such a success Russian President Putin might also make another attempt to threaten Kiev ...

Second, the West is suffering from Ukraine fatigue. NATO countries’ arms supplies have been depleted beyond what is tolerable, and social cohesion is collapsing in the face of double-digit inflation and economic recession. All this makes Russia the winner on the strategic level and is forcing Washington and Brussels to seek at least a breathing spell by way of a ceasefire.

...

Third, Ukraine’s greatest political asset – Zelenskiy himself – just got devalued, putting at even greater risk Ukraine’s political stability. ... For now, in order to keep the West on board, Zelenskiy is rumored to be pushing Ukrainian armed forces commander Viktor Zalyuzhniy to start a last pre-winter offensive in northern Donetsk (Svatovo and Severodonetsk) or Zaporozhe in order to put a stop to the West’s ceasefire murmurs and reboost support. At the same time there is talk of continuing Zelenskiy-Zalyuzhniy tensions over the latter’s good press and star status in the West. ... On the background of the deteriorating battlefield and international strategic situation, such civil-military tensions are fraught with the potential for a coup. ...

...

We may be reaching the watershed moment in the Ukrainian war. No electricity, no army, no society.

jumper on 25th November 2022
https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4111826/posts?page=31#31
“now Zenlenski is being pushed to “hurry to negotiate” now, before those 545,000 Russian forces are ready for the “freeze offensie”. Russia will take Odessa as the Ukrainians are currently trying to defend Kiev.”

Russia’s “freeze offensive”? ha ha ha

545,000 Russian forces? ha ha ha

Russia will take Odessa? ha ha ha

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