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Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his false framing of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as a defensive operation to protect Russia on September 1
Russian milbloggers continued attempts to claim that Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south has already failed.
Igor Girkin, a Russian nationalist and former commander of militants in the 2014 fighting in Donbas, stated that Ukrainian forces are continuing to attack after the “failure of the first attack”—falsely portraying ongoing Ukrainian operations as separate attacks after an initial failure—and reiterated the common Russian narrative that what he claims are Ukraine’s “Western handlers” pushed Ukraine to conduct a counteroffensive.[3] Girkin additionally stated that Ukraine’s Western partners poorly planned for the counteroffensive, underestimated Russian capabilities and assumed Russians are incompetent, and principally accounted for political—not military—considerations.[4] One milblogger stated that Ukraine’s defeat in the south will be the strongest psychological blow to Kyiv and that this failure will have a continued long-term psychological effect on Ukraine’s morale.[5] The Russian milbloggers are increasingly centrally describing Ukrainian attacks as tactless and “suicidal” rushes
As ISW has reported, military operations on the scale of the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive do not succeed or fail in a day or a week.
The Ukrainian General Staff stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended the deadline for Russian forces to capture Donetsk Oblast from August 31 to the still highly unlikely target date of September 15, and Russian forces are conducting several redeployments to meet this goal.
The Kremlin is likely seeking to capitalize on the significance of seizing areas around Donetsk City that have been contested since 2014 to boost the morale of Russian and proxy forces
Key Takeaways
Quote:
Ukrainian forces continued to target Russian logistical nodes and key positions throughout Kherson Oblast in support of the ongoing counteroffensive in southern Ukraine.
Russian milbloggers reiterated claims that Ukrainian forces are fighting along four axes of advance in Western Kherson Oblast.
Russian forces conducted ground attacks northwest of Slovyansk, south and northeast of Bakhmut, and northwest and southwest of Donetsk City.
Russian authorities escalated claims that Ukrainian forces are threatening both the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and the newly arrived International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) delegation on the territory of the ZNPP.
The Russian 3rd Army Corps is continuing to form for deployment to Donbas.
Russian occupation authorities are likely increasingly recognizing their inability to successfully hold sham referenda in occupied areas of Ukraine due to Russian military failures and ongoing Ukrainian resistance in occupied territories.
Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts
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Russian military authorities continued forming and deploying volunteer units to Ukraine to compensate for personnel losses in Ukraine. A local veterans’ organization in Buryatia announced it generated an additional 30 volunteers to fight in Ukraine on September 1.[57] Deputy Chief of the Ukrainian Main Operational Department Oleksiy Gromov stated that Russian military authorities decided to disband the 31st Separate Airborne Assault Brigade and the 22nd Separate Special Purpose Brigade due to significant losses, claiming that less than 20% of personnel in each brigade survived operations in Ukraine.[58] Both brigades fought in battles where Russian forces suffered heavy attrition. Elements of the Russian 31st Separate Airborne Assault Brigade participated in combat operations in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast, and in Severodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast.[59] Elements of the 22nd Separate Special Purpose brigade fought in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast.[60]
CNN amplified two anonymous US officials’ claims on August 31 that Russia is facing “severe” shortages of military personnel in Ukraine and is searching for new ways to generate personnel for battle. The report amplified one unidentified official’s claims that the Russian MoD is attempting to recruit contract service members to compensate for personnel losses by “compelling wounded soldiers to reenter combat, acquiring personnel from private security companies, and paying bonuses to conscripts.”[61] The officials also noted that the US has “credible reporting” that Russia's MOD is “likely to begin” recruiting convicted criminals in Ukraine “in exchange for pardons and financial compensation.”
Activity in Russian-occupied Areas
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Ukrainian sources are increasingly reporting that Russian occupation authorities are likely acknowledging their own inability to hold large-scale referenda in occupied Ukrainian territories due to Russian military failures to capture desired territory and the pressure of local resistance within occupied territories. The Ukrainian Resistance Center stated on September 1 that the Kremlin anticipated holding the entirety of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia Oblasts by the summer of 2022 and that the Russian military’s inability to take control of these territories has undermined the Kremlin’s prospects at staging large-scale referenda across occupied regions.[63] The Resistance Center added that Russian authorities will continue to propagate the concept of large-scale referenda across the information space but that occupation officials fundamentally understand that even staged voting may not occur at all due to the tandem effects of Russian military failings and pressure levied by Ukrainian partisan and civil resistance.[64] ISW has previously assessed that Russian occupation authorities are unlikely to be able to stage sham referenda in occupied regions by the supposed early September deadline.
It's odd. Putin and Xi's popularity are ultra high, while Brandon's? Not so much.
Even Trump, the man that can do not wrong here on CD, never mustered anything above 50-55% approval, with an average of 44%.
That's because the culture is so completely different.
In China, the common people were brought up to be "good citizens". Follow the rules (law) and listen to the authorities. This culture was the norm back in Mao's days and carries onto current times... though maybe a bit more moderated.
The USA is all about FREEDOM of the individual. People scream about their individual rights. I have my right to not wear a mask, to not take the vaccine, to carry an assault rifle in Walmart....
So it's natural that most of the people surveyed in China say that their leader is wise and doing the right thing. But in Merika the split between the 2 party politics has been inflamed by the orange man. Nobody will agree on anything but just keep on insulting one another and their silly leaders.
I wouldn't care if 100% of the Russians actually supported Putin.
Russia has no right to do what they are doing.
Well if it is The Great Patriotic War II then a generation of Russian men will gladly give up their lives to take Ukraine away from others. And the current government will have no worries about an October Revolution II
Stalin and Mao's popularity if polled would have been near 100%.
They were clearly even better leaders than Putin and Xi by your logic.
Tell you what, let me poll you.
Which party do you like comrade?
A?
A?
A?
Or B, we shoot you in the head?
Miraculous choice here, party A, wildly popular. Tell my news media to report glorious news for benefit all revolutionaries or else.
Or, maybe they've seen material improvements in their lives over the course of several decades whereas we here in the US have a front row seat to a **** show caused primarily by an incompetent and indifferent government.
Or, maybe they've seen material improvements in their lives over the course of several decades whereas we here in the US have a front row seat to a **** show caused primarily by an incompetent and indifferent government.
I'm still laughing over the "they have higher approval ratings" statement.
In other news the G7 has agreed to a Russian oil price cap. That means no matter what the price of oil does, Russia will not be able to sell it above a certain amount. The proposal would mean importers seeking shipping services and insurance cover from companies based in the countries would need to adhere to a price cap to transport Russian oil.
This was in response to seeing Russia's willingness to use oil delivery and price as a weapon.
G7 countries are United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.
In other news the G7 has agreed to a Russian oil price cap. That means no matter what the price of oil does, Russia will not be able to sell it above a certain amount. The proposal would mean importers seeking shipping services and insurance cover from companies based in the countries would need to adhere to a price cap to transport Russian oil.
This was in response to seeing Russia's willingness to use oil delivery and price as a weapon.
G7 countries are United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Yeah, this goes back to my comment about Russia being their own worst enemy over the years, just like China.
Concentration of power can be wonderfully effective or ruinous.
But hey, at least they have high approval ratings. Heck, Putin's is probably even a bit higher now since his critic fell out the window at the hospital.
The wealth and power that Russia so badly wants can never happen as long as Russia remains a corrupt cesspool of oligarchs.
They don't understand this.
The new 137,000 man army Russia has touted will never exist. The Kremlin will pay for 137,000 men, but there will not be that many recruited. There will be something less than 137,000 men recruited and the "excess" money will go straight to the pocket of some oligarch.
Russia is slow for a few reasons. Main reason they do not want the entire Ukr, they can only after where Russian population is, say, 70% or so, those cities can self govern with low risk of partisan resistance. They would not commit serious forces if NATO invasion threat is still high. In the Western Ukr they will bomb at much higher rates because they would not occupy that part.
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