Thread by @generalsvr_en

#Putin vs #Patrushev

On Thursday, #Russian President Vladimir Putin held a series of consultations with people in his inner circle about possible options for introducing martial law in a number of Russian regions. Such consultations will be held by the president today.
1/11

He promised to make a decision as early as next week. Apart from these consultations, yesterday, the president held a meeting with representatives of the leaders of the security and military blocs via video conferencing.
2/11

During the meeting, representatives of the military leadership expressed certain doubts that it would be possible to gain full control of Artemivsk (#Bakhmut) before May 9. The visibly upset president did not have time to respond to...
3/11

the military's sluggish arguments because Secretary of the #Russian Security Council Nikolai #Patrushev intercepted the initiative and, taking the floor, harshly reprimanded the military leadership. Patrushev promised that he would personally make those...
4/11

who made promises in vain accountable. The military responded to the Security Council secretary's threats with a grim look and eventually admitted directly that if they were able to take full control of Artemivsk (#Bakhmut), it would not be until the second half of May.
5/11

#Patrushev expressed doubts about this and said that, in his opinion, the situation at the front was close to a catastrophe. Further, the secretary of the Security Council made a number of complaints to #Putin, reproaching the president for the fact that...
6/11

despite all the warnings and possibilities offered to stabilize the situation at the front, the head of state refused to act reasonably and made the silliest decisions, allowing the current crisis to occur. #Patrushev said that a year ago, they should have...
7/11

concentrated on holding the then-occupied territories of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of #Ukraine and strengthening the defense of #Crimea. Next, practically a quote from the secretary of the Security Council:...
8/11

"Better yet, we shouldn't have started the operation at all!" #Patrushev demanded an honest assessment from the military leadership of how high the possibility was of losing control of all seized territories, including #Crimea.
9/11

Representatives of the military leadership confirmed this possibility, after which the secretary of the Security Council said that, in his opinion, there would be a partial loss of control of both the border with #Ukraine and the five regions bordering Ukraine...
10/11

(Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, and Rostov), FOR YEARS. #Putin listened to #Patrushev and closed the meeting. This was not the first, but one of the president's most serious arguments with the secretary of the Security Council, which happened in front of witnesses.
11/11