When the tanks entered Ukraine in late February, the Kremlin king called it a “special operation” and even banned the Russian media from using the word “war.”
However, more than two months later, the attack stopped and the military leaders believed that they now wanted to call it a war that would allow mass mobilization.
“The armies are outraged that the attack in Kyiv failed,” a source close to Russian military officials told The Telegraph.
Vladimir Putin is ready to declare a full-scale war in Ukraine, it is supported (Image: Sputnik / AFP / Getty Images) Read more related articles Read more related articles “The people of the army are looking for revenge for the failures of the past and they want to go further in Ukraine. “Their calls seem to be heard,” the Mirror Online reported. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday that Putin was likely to announce a general mobilization of the Russian population within weeks to make up for the military losses. “He is probably going to say… that we are now at war with the Nazis of the world and we must mobilize the Russian people en masse,” he said. The announcement could be made on May 9, when Russia celebrates the Soviet army’s victory over Nazi Germany. Read more related articles Read more related articles The Kremlin has typically flooded the armed forces with funding and praise, and has been rattling at every opportunity – in part to make up for the humiliating military campaigns of recent decades, including in Afghanistan and Chechnya. The reinforced armed forces now appear to be frustrated by a limited offensive in eastern Ukraine, when Moscow once seemed ready to occupy Kyiv in the early days of the war. Igor Girkin, a retired military intelligence officer who led separatist forces in eastern Ukraine before being recalled to Moscow in 2014, has for years provided a window into the minds of Russian high-ranking officers. Known for his outspoken anti-Ukrainian views, Girkin has criticized the Kremlin on the Internet for being too lenient with Ukraine. Russia pounding cities in southern and eastern Ukraine (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Read more related articles Read more related articles After listing Moscow’s failures – from the sinking of its Black Sea Fleet flagship to the “sabotage” of infrastructure in Russia – he asked: “What else must happen before the Kremlin dwarfs realize they are in a total, hard war and start acting accordingly? “ Alexander Arutyunov, a retired Russian commando and usually one of the Kremlin’s most popular bloggers, has become another voice of discontent. “Vladimir Vladimirovich, can you please decide: are we fighting or playing?” he asked in a moving video. He wondered why Russia still had to turn Ukraine’s airports into “lunar craters.” Declaring a full-scale war with Ukraine would mean two things the Kremlin has so far tried to avoid: martial law and mass mobilization. The mobilization would mean that Russia would need to call in reservists and hold conscripts beyond their one-year term, a politically difficult decision. Martial law would close the country’s borders and nationalize parts of the economy that are already hanging by a thread. Putin was looking forward to maintaining normalcy in Russia amid Western crippling sanctions, ordering the cabinet to provide financial assistance to families and businesses. Liberal Kremlin economists have so far prevented the once-vibrant market economy of Russia from going into a state of war, preventing, among other things, attempts to nationalize Western companies. However, one of Putin’s closest advisers in a rare public speech this week spoke of moving the economy to a military base. Nikolai Patrushev, chairman of the Russian Security Council, criticized the “fascination of businessmen with market mechanisms” and called for a self-sufficient economy. Putin’s troops have focused their attack on eastern Ukraine recently (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Russia is also a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes many other former Soviet nations. As with NATO, its charter states that an attack on one member should be seen as an aggression against the entire bloc – and there could be a common military response if Putin said Ukraine or the West were attacking Russia. When violent unrest broke out in Kazakhstan in January this year, the CSTO agreed to send a joint peacekeeping mission there. Other members, however, do not have armies as large as Moscow. At the same time, an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Minister said that General Gerasimov, the head of the Russian army, had arrived in eastern Ukraine. Former Lt. Gen. Rupert Jones, who was the commander of all operations in the UK, told the Telegraph that it would be a surprise move and would show Putin’s growing isolation. “This smells of further despair,” he said, adding that the appointment could be a “precursor” for Putin calling for a May 9 declaration of war. “Putin has been working with Gerasimov for a long time,” said General Jones. “But at this critical juncture, Putin does not feel the need to advise his strategic commander in Moscow. “There is something very interesting about this dynamic, it reinforces (the idea of) Putin’s isolation.” Do not miss the latest news from all over Scotland and beyond – Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.
