Thread by @generalsvr_en

Dear subscribers and guests of the channel! Contrary to the words of the press secretary of the President of #Russia, Dmitry Peskov, yesterday, Russian President Vladimir #Putin traditionally did NOT swim in the ice hole in the Epiphany and did NOT even plunge into it.
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In recent years, the President has been trying to stay away from the ice holes. He takes baths with a stable water temperature of 36.6°C. In past years, the double played the role of #Putin, who took baths in ice water.
2/16

But, in November, the double had an exacerbation of chronic kidney disease, and doctors did not recommend exposing him to extreme stress yet. Besides, now, #Putin simply needs a double. Given the poor health of the President, the double holds more than...
3/16

half of the face-to-face meetings and attends events on behalf of the head of state. For these reasons, they decided not to take risks and offered to believe the words of Peskov.
#Putin had many more important things to do yesterday than hanging out in the ice hole.
4/16

The President had a telephone conversation with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. It is worth noting that yesterday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that #Iran does NOT recognize the "new territories" and Crimea as part of #Russia, which, of course, upset #Putin.
5/16

The convo with #Iran's President did not work out either. The Iranian leadership is delaying the delivery of ballistic missiles, launchers for these missiles and drones. The small number of ballistic missiles that have already been delivered are useless without launchers.
6/16

#Iran is in no hurry to supply the required quantities of drones, with which the Armed Forces of #Ukraine have learned to fight effectively. #Putin asked his Iranian colleague to speed up shipments.
7/16

However, he received traditional "eastern" promises. Whether Ebrahim Raisi will realize his promises and how quickly, the #Russian leadership does not know. After the end of the conversation, #Putin did not exude optimism.
8/16

At an evening meeting via video call with representatives of the leadership of the security and military blocs, the President shared the ambiguous results of telephone conversations with the President of #Iran and got in trouble.
9/16

Nikolai #Patrushev, Secretary of the #Russian Security Council, spoke with thinly veiled irritation and poorly concealed criticism of the President's previous decisions. Patrushev asked #Putin several rhetorical questions.
10/16

The questions themselves contained disappointing answers. So, the Secretary of the Security Council asked what forces the President would carry out the upcoming offensive in several directions at the front at once,...
11/16

given the transfer of new volumes of weapons to #Ukraine from the West. #Patrushev was also curious about how #Putin would win the war or, at least, keep the "new territories", which, according to the constitution, are now part of #Russia.
12/16

He also asked how the President is going to make peace or, at least, move to a truce when the enemy is strong, armed, inspired and has no desire to compromise. The final questions were: "how cold has Europe become, how seriously has the "migration" crisis...
13/16

with #Ukrainian refugees affected the resolve of the West" and, most interestingly, literally: "what the hell to put forward such ultimatums, followed by their own defeats."
14/16

After #Patrushev's speech, the President made a short speech that turned into a shout with accusations against the military leadership and closed the meeting. After the meeting, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Valery #Gerasimov contacted Patrushev.
15/16

#Gerasimov expressed his support for everything the Secretary of the Security Council said.
There is no global split in #Putin's circle yet, but the system is bursting at the seams from internal stress, and any sudden movement can become a trigger for its collapse.
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