“Our country is burning, and Putin is receiving guests”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Moscow the day before, where he will hold talks with Vladimir Putin. It would seem to be a routine event for our diplomacy. However, it has caused a split in the ranks of the domestic elite. We do not agree with all of our interlocutors, but we decided to publish this post to understand the mood at the top.
“We have serious problems in the Kursk region. Part of our territory has been under enemy control for a week now . And at this time, the president is holding meetings with the Palestinians. Is this so important now?” asks a prominent retired general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs .
According to a source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the meeting with Abbas is important in light of the escalation in the Middle East. However, the diplomat agreed off the record that, against the backdrop of the Middle East, there are problems within the country. Now the most important thing for all of us is to quickly drive the enemy out of the Kursk region, he says. The channel's interlocutor in the army leadership was cautious in his assessments. He noted that the president is aware of the situation in the Kursk region, but overall the resources aimed at containing the enemy are insufficient. Against this background, the general considers demonstrative meetings with foreign leaders to be untimely, but he did not publicly criticize the president. We agree that it is not worth criticizing the president in war conditions. We are convinced that the Kremlin understands the need for a quick response to the Kursk breakthrough of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/4507
Russia has a declining population and labor shortage, but they are probably not discussing moving the Palestinians from Gaza to Russia.
A Russian soldier captured by Ukraine recorded himself looting an abandoned house in the Kursk region. The video was reportedly retrieved from his mobile phone. It potentially corroborates reports of widespread looting from their own civilians by the Russian military. ⬇️
In the video, the man shows himself wandering around the house’s ransacked interior. The building appears to have been damaged, probably by shelling. He complains that “the Ministry of Defence” (i.e. the Army) have been there before him and have stripped the house.
3/ At least three of his colleagues are visible in and around the building’s garage. Describing it as “rich” (in loot, presumably), he says they are “cleaning it [out]”.
4/ It’s not clear which force the man is from, but his reference to “the Ministry of Defence” suggests that he’s not Army. It’s most likely that he’s a member of the Rosgvardiya (Russian National Guard) which answers directly to Putin.
The video helps to corroborate a report today that “rampant looting” by Russian forces has broken out in frontline regions in the path of the Ukrainian advance. It appears that the Russians are having serious problems with military indiscipline.
xxx
9/ The video suggests that there’s been a major breakdown in Russian command and control along the frontlines – they would probably not be looting if they had an officer with them. The men in the video were most likely wandering around without any orders. /end
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