Friday, March 29

What was the chief of the Russian General Staff doing in Ukraine when he was wounded? A report reveals


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A top-secret report delivered to President Joe Biden explains that Vladimir Putin’s top general, Russian Chief of Staff Valeri Gerasimov, was in southeastern Ukraine last week to encourage Russian forces to complete their operations in Donbasspaving the way for a quicker conclusion to the war, as reported by ‘Newsweek’.

It was there that he could have been wounded after a devastating attack by Ukrainian artillery on Saturday against Izium, a Ukrainian town located southeast of Kharkov and currently occupied by Russian troops. The information about the attack was shared by Anton Geráshenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior.

The secret US report offers intelligence on Putin’s state after more than two months of war, speculating not only on the Russian president’s frustration with the pace and state of progress on the ground, but also on the growing concern about western weapons and a greater participation of them that can bring with it a Russian defeat.

According to two senior military officials who reviewed the report (they requested anonymity to speak on operational issues), it also speculates on the potential for a Russian nuclear escalation.

One of the sources warns that, from Putin’s point of view, deep dissatisfaction with the situation in Ukraine and fear that the West will change course could provoke a nuclear display of some sort, intended to shock the West and put end to the war. Western arms supplies are also a game changer, resupplying Ukraine while Russia is increasingly restricted. “Climbing is now a real danger”says the senior American official.

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“If someone decides to intervene in the ongoing events from abroad and create unacceptable strategic threats to us, he should know that our response to those coming blows will be quick, lightning fast,” Putin told Russian lawmakers last week in St. Petersburg. “We have all the tools for this, which no one can boast of. And we will not boast. We will use them if necessary. And I want everyone to know it. We have already made all the decisions about it.”

One of the top US intelligence officials who spoke to ‘Newsweek’ speculates that the purpose of General Valery Gerasimov’s trip to Ukraine was twofold: to verify and get a candid view of the progress of the war, and to pass on confidential information. Russian generals there about what the future might hold, should the Russian position in southern Ukraine become even more dire. That is, to communicate the decisions that the Russian president was talking about.

Experts point out that a Russian nuclear display could come in the form of a warhead exploding over the Arctic or a remote ocean somewhere, or even in a live nuclear test (something Russia hasn’t done since 1990). This would demonstrate Putin’s willingness to escalate further, but would be one step short of declaring a full-scale war.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told a Ukrainian media outlet last week that the US and NATO were preparing for the possible use of Russian nuclear weapons. “Unfortunately, since the beginning of this conflict, we have realized that the threats [nucleares] raised by Putin must be taken seriously. Therefore, the United States and our allies are preparing for this development.”

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