Thread by @TheStudyofWar

Here are seven additional key takeaways from tonight's Russian campaign assessment w/ @criticalthreats:

1. #Putin’s use of the term “war” when referring to the invasion of #Ukraine has prompted some confusion within the Russian information space.
isw.pub/UkrWar122222

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1606099133407830016

2. The Russian Chief of the General Staff, Army General Valery #Gerasimov, attempted to revive a debunked Russian narrative that the #Kremlin did not plan to invade #Ukraine in an effort to justify #Russia’s war in Ukraine.

3. The Kremlin found it necessary to claim that Russian Defense Minister Sergey #Shoigu visited the frontlines in #Ukraine for the second time in a week, likely to deflect criticism that Shoigu is not an involved wartime leader.

4. #Wagner Group financier Yevgeniy #Prigozhin continues to seek to elevate the importance of the Wagner Group in Russian military operations in Ukraine in order to establish himself as the central figure of Russia’s ultra-nationalist pro-war community.

5. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi held talks with Russian officials on the creation of a security zone around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

6. A senior Russian official denied claims of a second wave of mobilization amidst ongoing crypto-mobilization efforts.

7. Ukrainian partisans continued to target Russian occupation authorities.
isw.pub/UkrWar122222