WAR ON UKRAINE - Media Insights #16-17

Welcome to the 16th issue of our regular newsletter, featuring an independent review of media coverage of the war in Ukraine. Our previous newsletters have offered a unique perspective on two different perspectives - the Russian state media's perspective and how they interpret the ongoing "special military operation" in Ukraine, and how the same events are covered by the independent media. You can find all previous issues on our website.

The current issue offers a summary of the topics of the day presented in our Telegram channel "Россия в медиа фокусе" (Russia in Media Focus). If you enjoyed our previous weekly Media Insights - War in Ukraine and would like to receive more regular daily updates, please subscribe to our Telegram channel 'Россия в медиа фокусе' (@glasnost2022) here.

The current issue offers the following stories, topics and events covering 12-25 September 2022.

[12 September 2022]


Topic of the day:
Amid the panicked flight of the Russian army and the abandonment by its soldiers of large quantities of ammunition and military equipment, including tanks and artillery, Ukrainian forces could easily take them on. Open-source data researchers are actively tracking Russian losses, but objectively there is no time to keep track of the retreating Russian army and that tally is not yet complete, and as of late September 10 it was 40 tanks, 35 armored personnel carriers, 50 BMPs, 47 logistics vehicles, 9 engineer vehicles and mine-resistant vehicles, 11 command and staff vehicles, and 9 air defense systems.

Why it matters:
Russia is trying to establish a new front line along the Oskol River in Kharkov Oblast, but there are objective doubts about the Russian army's ability to prepare for its defense in a short time due to high casualties in manpower and military equipment, and to secure communications and supply lines in the towns of Svatovo and Rubizhne in Luhansk Oblast. Presumably, the logistics of the Russian armed forces will become more complicated and the supply of ammunition will go through Rostov-on-Don. Experts say the Russian army's defeat on the Kharkiv front could be the turning point in the war, as Ukraine's regaining control of most of the Kharkiv region has significantly weakened Russia's grip on Donetsk and Luhansk regions and generally deprived the Russian army of the initiative to conduct offensive operations.

What the independent media report:
Ukraine is crushing Russian forces in the northeast and forcing them to retreat. (NYT)
Russian defenses are crumbling while Ukraine reclaims key territory. (Bloomberg)
Ukraine launches a new offensive, while Russian troops retreat from the Kharkov region. (VOA)

What the Russian media write:
Putin has received reports of Russian forces regrouping in the Kharkov region. (TASS)
MO OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: Kupyansk and Izyum area destroyed Kraken national formation's manpower and equipment. (Rossiyskaya Gazeta)
Harmoniously, courageously and steadfastly: footage of the Russian Armed Forces' work in the Ugledar direction. (TV Zvezda)


[13 September 2022]


Topic of the day:
On September 9-11, Russia held its first municipal elections since the start of the war with Ukraine, in which pro-government candidates (nominated by the United Russia party or those close to the Kremlin) won an overwhelming majority.

Direct gubernatorial elections were held in fourteen regions (in Adygea, the head of the republic was elected by voting by members of the legislative assembly). All the 14 campaigns were held with low turnout for an election at that level - turnout was below 30% in 5 out of the 14 regions. At gubernatorial elections in all regions, according to official data, the government candidates won. In twelve regions, votes were cast for municipal deputies. The government candidates also won an overwhelming number of seats in those municipal councils where the elections were held only in single-mandate districts, and not by lists.

In eight regions, including Moscow, it was possible to vote online. According to observers and the CEC, the system of remote electronic voting (DEV) was subjected to cyber-attacks. Both the Moscow and federal e-voting systems were attacked.

Meanwhile, municipal deputies from 18 districts of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kolpin signed a petition  demanding the resignation of President Vladimir Putin. Ksenia Torström, a deputy from Semenovsky Municipal District in St. Petersburg, is collecting signatures for the petition. The statement reads that Putin's actions are detrimental to the future of Russia and its citizens. As of this writing, at least 20 municipal deputies have signed the petition.

Why it matters:
Although the results of the municipal elections ostensibly show support for the current government, they took place with a complete lack of real competition. Most of the bright opposition candidates, including incumbent deputies, were removed from the elections on various grounds. Many of them were arrested for speaking out against the war. Detentions and arrests of undesirable candidates were the main tactics of the authorities during the September elections.

The independent Russian watchdog group Golos argues that "real competition in Russia this year is at one of the lowest levels in a decade. Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Moscow, told the Times that "almost none" of the parties opposed to Putin's rule were able to participate in this year's elections. "Finally, for the first time, elections have become completely meaningless," Kolesnikov said.

What the independent media report:
Under wartime repression, pro-Putin candidates are winning regional and local elections. (The New York Times)
Russia held its first elections since the war with Ukraine began. Meduza special correspondent Andrei Pertsev summarizes their main (and disappointing) results. (Meduza)
Russia holds "totally senseless" election amid retreat of its troops in Ukraine. (Newsweek)

What the Russian media write:
More than 1,100 mandates in Moscow municipal elections go to ER candidates. (TASS)
The Kremlin assessed the results of the past elections. Peskov said that the high support of the regions' curators is the merit of their personal and the president's course. (Ren TV)
The incumbent heads of Russian regions or the proxies remain in their positions based on the election results. (Interfax)


[14 September 2022]


Topic of the day:
Municipal deputies who called for Putin's resignation have been threatened with their own resignation. According to one of the deputies, a group of St. Petersburg politicians who called for the dismissal of President Vladimir Putin because of the war in Ukraine may lose their positions because of the possible dissolution of the local council.

According to one of the deputies, Nikita Yuferev, the Smolninskiy District Court in St. Petersburg ruled that a number of past council meetings were invalid, paving the way for its dissolution by the regional governor. Another council member, Dmitry Palyuga, claims that the same court fined him 47,000 rubles ($780) for "discrediting" the authorities by calling for Putin's resignation. Four more members of the Smolensk local council are to appear in court in the next two days.

The fact is that on September 7, the Smolnyinsky council of deputies decided to call on the State Duma to bring charges of treason against Putin in order to remove him from office - according to the deputies, "young able-bodied" Russian citizens are dying because of the war the president has started in Ukraine, the Russian economy is suffering, NATO is expanding to the east, and Ukraine is receiving new weapons. On September 8, the council of deputies of Moscow's Lomonosovsky Municipal District appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to resign. The deputies noted that since Putin's second term in office, "everything has gone wrong".

Also, municipal deputies from 18 districts of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kolpin signed a petition demanding the resignation of President Vladimir Putin. The statement, published on September 12, states that Putin's actions are detrimental to the future of Russia and its citizens. To date, more than 65 deputies have signed the petition.

The author of the petition, Ksenia Torstrem, a municipal deputy from St. Petersburg, decided to support her fellow deputies from the Smolninskoye municipality in this way: "The application is in support of the deputies of the "Smolninskoye" municipality. These are our colleagues and friends, they are elected in 2019, like me. We had one head of the electoral headquarters - Maxim Katz. We were all members of the Yabloko party, from which we were expelled. We wanted to support them because they have a very bold statement, and the security forces are showing increased attention to them, and tomorrow they have a trial," Xenia Torstrem told Deutsche Welle.

Why it matters:
While such a protest poses no threat to Putin's power, it is a rare manifestation of dissent by elected officials. It is especially important to consider the fact that Russians face serious prison sentences for "discrediting" the armed forces or disseminating "knowingly false information" about them. Thousands of court cases have been filed against people accused of discrediting the army, usually ending in fines for first offenses, but in July a Moscow district council deputy was sentenced to seven years in prison for spreading false information.

Deputy Dmitry Palyuga commented to Reuters before Tuesday's court hearing that the group's calls were aimed not only at liberal Russians, but also at "people loyal to the government who begin to doubt when they see the Russian military's lack of success."

Ksenia Torstrom, a St. Petersburg local councilwoman who published a petition Monday calling for Putin's resignation, said it was too early to tell how the campaign would turn out. "To call for a politician's resignation is absolutely normal. There is nothing criminal about it," she told Reuters. "Of course there is some risk, but to show solidarity with our colleagues - independent politicians who still remain in Russia - is much more important."

What the independent media report:
The Russian Council is facing dissolution after calling for Putin's resignation. (Reuters)
A court has allowed a council of municipal deputies in St. Petersburg, which called for Putin's resignation over the war, to be disbanded. (Meduza)
Author of petition against Putin: I hope something will change in Russia. (Deutsche Welle)

What the Russian media write:
The Russian propaganda media did not cover this situation.


[15 September 2022]


News of the Day:
Along with the liberation of Ukrainian territories in the Kharkiv region, reports of numerous war crimes committed by the Russian army against Ukrainian civilians began to flood in. Earlier facts of torture and mass executions of civilians by the Russian army were confirmed in Bucha, Irpen and other settlements of the Kyiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions and are not a random manifestation of cruelty - this medieval tactic is used by Russian troops almost everywhere they seize land.

Pro-Putin bloggers are acting in concert and trying to interrupt this flow of reports and divert Russian society's attention from the Russian army's war crimes, while simultaneously throwing into the information space through their channels similar information about alleged mop-ups of pro-Russian populations in territories liberated by Ukrainian troops.

Why it matters:
There are already 32,000 war crimes reported in Ukraine, according to the latest figures, and this raises the question of transferring authority to investigate cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The ICC can convict top officials and officials of the Russian Federation and can also try Russians for crimes against humanity. That is, the prospect of reparations after the war, the payment of which would be borne by Russian citizens, is very real. In addition, the evil will return with a boomerang and a spiral of violence with a sharp increase in grave crimes in Russia itself, where those who committed these heinous crimes with impunity in Ukraine will return is only a matter of time.

What the independent media report:
Ukrainian military finds bodies, learns about torture in liberated city. (Radio Liberty)
'People disappeared': Izyum residents on Russia's occupation (The Guardian)
War in Ukraine: Reports of torture committed by Russians in liberated territories. (BBC)

What the Russian media write:
The Russian media not only skirts the topic of war crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine, but also tries to make Ukraine look guilty.
Putin spoke to Macron by phone. "Putin also drew Macron's attention to the fact that Ukraine is purposefully shelling civilian infrastructure in Donbass with Western weapons, causing civilians to suffer." (РИА)
The Kiev regime is preparing a feature film, 'Bucha,' which will be about those very 'evil Russian occupiers.' (TG channel of O.Skabeyeva, anchor of the '60 minutes' on Russia 1)
The Investigative Committee is investigating crimes committed by nationalists, including the shooting of civilians in Kupyansk. (TASS)


[16 September 2022]


Topic of the day:
China pledges support for protecting Kazakhstan's sovereignty. Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan on his first overseas trip in two and a half years. China will "categorically oppose the interference of any forces in the internal affairs" of Nur-Sultan, he pointed out. During his meeting with that country's President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev on Wednesday, September 14, the Chinese leader "highly appreciated" the level of bilateral relations, the Nur-Sultan said, and said he supported Kazakhstan's position on regional and international issues. For his part, Tokayev called the Chinese president's visit "extremely important" and pointed out that the "eternal comprehensive strategic partnership announced in Beijing in September 2019 has reached the set trajectory."

Why it matters:
Such statements come amid heightened U.S. scrutiny of sanctions against Russia. The U.S. intends to inspect banks and cryptocurrency platforms, bank accounts and assets of sanctioned Russian businessmen, as well as to punish foreign organizations caught in the export of sanctioned goods to Russia. Thus, the U.S. wants to strengthen the effect of already imposed sanctions against Russia. Kazakhstani authorities continue to refuse to trade with Russia in spite of requests from Moscow to establish supplies and save stores from an empty shelf crisis. As a result, Kazakhstan manages to avoid violating the sanctions regime against Russia. "Kazakhstan is not subject to secondary sanctions," Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi said Wednesday. In addition, Putin's Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping first took a much more restrained tone than the Russian president when it came to the war in Ukraine and generally tried to avoid any mention of Ukraine during the SCO summit in Uzbekistan. When viewed as one, it looks as if Russia has lost the support of its strongest international partner after last week's humiliating defeat in northeastern Ukraine.

What the independent media report:
China pledges support to defend Kazakhstan's sovereignty. (DW)
Kazakhstan puts trade with Russia under US sanctions control. (The Moscow Times)
WSJ reveals U.S. plans to tighten sanctions controls against Russia. (Forbes)
Russia's invasion of Ukraine. China's support for Putin's war looks very questionable after the summit. (The New York Times)

What the Russian media write:
Putin and Xi Jinping's statement has the U.S. excited, media reports. (RIA)
"Vedomosti": Finance Ministry proposed to cut unprotected budget items by 10% for 2023. (TASS)
"The main topic was Ukraine". (Kommersant)


[17-18 September 2022]


Topic of the weekend:
People's Artist of the USSR Alla Pugacheva asked to be recognized as a foreign agent following her husband. On Friday, the Ministry of Justice recognized her husband Maxim Galkin, who has repeatedly spoken out against the military operation in Ukraine, as a foreign agent.

Alla Pugacheva posted on Instagram (the owner of the social network company Meta is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) an appeal to the Ministry of Justice to recognize her as a foreign agent. Last Friday, her husband Maxim Galkin was added to the list of foreign agents.

"I ask to be listed as a foreign agent of my beloved country, for I stand in solidarity with my husband, an honest, decent and sincere man, a true and incorruptible patriot of Russia, who wishes his homeland prosperity, peaceful life, freedom of speech and an end to the death of our guys for illusory goals that make our country an outcast and weigh down the lives of our citizens," the singer wrote.

Why it matters:
Legendary artist Alla Pugacheva, also called the primadonna, still has a great influence on public opinion in Russia. After the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Pugacheva and her husband Maxim Galkin left Russia for Israel, and the singer emphasized that she was there for rest and treatment and was not going to emigrate. After her departure, Galkin openly criticized the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov called his remarks "obscene."

Earlier, the list of "foreign agents" was expanded to include musician Andrei Makarevich, Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon, Russian journalist Katerina Gordeyeva, Alexei Navalny's associate Ivan Zhdanov, philanthropist Boris Zimin, and political scientist and DW columnist Fyodor Krasheninnikov. The Ministry of Justice claims that all of them receive funding from Ukraine and are engaged in political activities.

What the independent media report:
"Please enroll me in the ranks of foreign agents, for I am in solidarity with my husband." Alla Pugacheva to the Russian Ministry of Justice. (Meduza)
Russia's favorite singer Alla Pugacheva posted a message on her Instagram account asking the country's Justice Ministry to list her as a foreign agent along with her husband Maxim Galkin. (The Guardian)
Russian star couple blasts war in message to Putin's Russia. (Deutsche Welle)

What the Russian media write:
The State Duma said that Pugacheva will not become a foreign agent. (Gazeta.ru)
Alla Pugacheva asked the Russian Ministry of Justice to recognize her as a foreign agent. (Ren TV)
Pugacheva asked the Ministry of Justice to add her to the list of foreign agents. (TASS)


[19 September 2022]


Topic of the day:
A missile fired by Russia on the night of Sept. 19 exploded just 300 meters from a nuclear reactor at the South Ukraine nuclear power plant. Petr Kotin, head of Energoatom, told Ukrainian national television that although the heavily reinforced concrete buildings housing the nuclear reactors are built to withstand a plane crash, Monday's explosion from the strike was powerful enough to damage the protective structures had the missile fallen closer.

The nuclear plant, located near the town of Yuzhnoukrainsk in the Nikolayev region, is part of the South Ukraine Energy Complex, which includes a hydropower plant and another power plant. It is more than 160 kilometers north of Nikolaev and away from the front line of the fighting.

Why it matters:
Russian shelling of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, South Ukraine and formerly Zaporozhye, poses a serious threat of nuclear disaster, the scale of which could surpass even Chernobyl. "There is no other way to characterize this except as nuclear terrorism," stressed Peter Kotin, head of Energoatom.

In turn, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky commented on the incident in Telegram: "At night, a missile flew 300 meters from the South Ukrainian nuclear power plant. There was a short-term power outage. Windows in the buildings on the territory of the nuclear power plant were damaged. The occupants wanted to shoot again, but they have forgotten what a nuclear power plant is. Russia is endangering the whole world. We must stop it before it is too late."

But Russian propagandists keep threatening all of Europe with nuclear weapons. Russian State Duma deputy Andrei Gurulev said on the air of the program "Evening with Vladimir Solovyov" on 18.09.2022 that "if you make a Martian desert from the British islands a tactical operational weapon in three minutes without engaging the strategic potential, then of course you can apply the fifth article, but for whom, for the Martian desert that no longer exists as a state?"

What the independent media report:
A Russian rocket fell less than 900 feet from the nuclear reactors. (The New York Times)
Ukraine accuses Russia of hitting a southern nuclear plant. (France 24)
The strike on the southern Ukrainian nuclear plant. (The Guardian)

What the Russian media write:
The Russian propaganda media wrote nothing about the shelling of the South Ukrainian nuclear power plant. At the same time, they accuse Ukraine of creating a dangerous situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
Aleksandr Volga, head of the Energodar administration, said on the Rossiya 24 television channel that Ukrainian units resumed shelling the city's coastal area on Monday morning. (RBC)


[20 September 2022]


Topic of the day:
The so-called "DPR" and "LPR" are planning to hold referendums on their accession to Russia on September 23-27. Representatives of the "People's Councils of the Republics" announced this. Following them, representatives of the Russian occupation authorities in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions also announced their intention to hold an urgent vote.

Why it matters:
Not long ago, Andrei Turchak, secretary of United Russia's general council, declared Nov. 4 "Unity Day" as a possible date for referendums. The decision to postpone referendums on the annexation of the seized territories was most likely made in connection with the crushing defeat of the Russian army in the Kharkov region and its retreat. Simultaneously with this decision, the State Duma passed a bill to criminalize refusal to participate in military actions by introducing such concepts as: "mobilization," "martial law," "wartime," and "armed conflict."

Apparently, Putin and his entourage made the decision to announce total mobilization due to a series of failures in the war against Ukraine, which demonstrates the lack of confidence in the combat effectiveness of the units already involved and the real fear of losing power amid military losses and economic problems due to sanctions.

What the independent media report:
Russian parliament toughens punishment for crimes during military mobilization. (Reuters)
Latest in Ukraine's war: Russia hints at full mobilization. (The Telegraph)
Pro-Moscow officials in occupied Ukraine will hold referendums on joining Russia. (The Moscow Times)

What the Russian media write:
The Duma recognized periods of mobilization and martial law as aggravating circumstances. (TASS)
An INSOMAR poll showed a high level of support for the referendum in Kherson, Zaporizhia, the DNR and LNR. (Gazeta.ru)
Simoniyan: a referendum on joining Russia will be demanded not only in the LNR. (AiF)


[21 September 2022]


News of the Day:
Putin announced a "partial" military mobilization in Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine. He stated this in his address, mentioning that only citizens in the reserve will be subject to conscription, who will undergo additional training "taking into account the experience of a special military operation. The decree on partial mobilization has been signed and entered into force. Mobilization ventures will reportedly begin on Wednesday, September 21.

Why it matters:
With the news of imminent referendums in the so-called "DPR," "LPR" and recently Russian-occupied territories in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, and the simultaneous adoption by the State Duma of amendments to the criminal code regarding the concepts of "mobilization" and "martial law," it became clear that the Kremlin was in a panic and the war in Ukraine was moving into a qualitatively new phase.

Despite Shoigu's statements about the estimated 6,000 Russian soldiers killed during the entire "SWO," British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace noted that Russian President Putin's violation of his promise not to mobilize in Russia and not to annex occupied Ukrainian territory was an admission that a full-scale Russian invasion was failing.

According to Western defense estimates from as early as early August, before the recent series of major defeats of the Russian army in the Kharkiv region, Russia lost 80,000 soldiers and officers killed and wounded out of the 150,000 regular Russian military personnel involved in the war against Ukraine.

The recognition of the occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia through hastily held referendums will allow the official use of conscripts, who have objectively much less experience than contract soldiers, in the war. And although Shoigu officially announced the call-up of 300,000 reservists, the 7th point of Putin's decree on mobilization with the number of conscripts is classified, which allows this number to be manipulated and increased in case of heavy losses.

What the independent media report:
Where to flee Russia right now. List of Countries. (Meduza)
Putin's escalation of Russia's war in Ukraine is proof he's losing it, US and UK say. (Business Insider)
Russia announces immediate "partial mobilization" of citizens, escalating its invasion of Ukraine. (CNN)
Putin goes for escalation in war against Ukraine, voices nuclear threat to West. (Reuters)

What the Russian media write:
Putin announces partial mobilization. (RIA)
Shoigu instructed to begin implementing Putin's decree on partial mobilization. (TASS)
Deputy Shvytkin announced that he is going to the front. (Moskovsky Komsomolets)


[22 September 2022]


Topic of the day:
Protests against President Putin's announced "partial mobilization" took place across Russia on Wednesday and were brutally suppressed. More than 1,300 people were detained in 39 cities, according to OVD-Info. The report said these figures include at least 502 people in Moscow and 524 in St. Petersburg, Russia's second most populous city. Unsanctioned rallies are illegal under Russian anti-protest law.

In Moscow, hundreds of protesters gathered on Old Arbat, a prominent pedestrian street in central Moscow. They shouted "Send Putin to the trenches!" and "Let our children live!" At the same time, Moscow police departments handed the detained at the actions against mobilization subpoenas to the military registration and enlistment offices.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people are already participating in the "Where They Hand Out Subpoenas" and "Subpoenas for Russia" groups on the Telegram app. Participants are sharing messages about where police may be hiding to hand out subpoenas. "Moscow - Metro crossing from Chekhov station to Pushkin station. Militia walks around with papers and stops people," reads one message, complete with a blurry photo of police and passengers. Another shows people in camouflage and reads, "St. Petersburg - they have begun to pass through student dormitories."

Why it matters:
The protests against mobilization were the largest since the start of the "special military operation" in Ukraine. Despite the fact that people could face imprisonment for participating in unsanctioned rallies, people nevertheless took to the streets in 39 cities.

The opposition Viasna movement called for protests, saying, "Thousands of Russian men, our fathers, brothers, and husbands, will be thrown into the meat grinder of war. What will they die for? What will mothers and children cry for?" The next rallies against mobilization are scheduled for 5 p.m. on September 24.

Meanwhile, a petition against "full and partial mobilization" had gathered nearly 300,000 signatures by Wednesday evening. "I think people couldn't get over the shock - they just couldn't believe that mobilization would be announced," Anastasia, 36, one of the petition organizers who lives in St. Petersburg and whose name is being withheld for security reasons, commented to the New York Times. "Just yesterday we thought this couldn't happen," she said, "But I think today people are still in shock that this is happening. And they're finally realizing: This affects me, too."

What the independent media report:
Protests in Russia: more than 1,300 arrested at anti-war demonstrations. (The Guardian)
More than 1,300 arrested during protests in Russia. Zelensky in a speech at the UN: "We demand punishment." (Stern)
"Novaya Gazeta. Europe: closed paragraph of Putin's decree says one million people will be mobilized. (Meduza)

What the Russian media write:
Mizulina: more than 615 thousand fakes about partial mobilization have been revealed. Mizulina stressed that most of the fake publications are spread from Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland. (NTV)
Peskov called claims about plans to mobilize up to 1 million people false. (TASS)
Peskov said it was legal to serve summonses to those detained at uncoordinated rallies. (KP)


[23 September 2022]


Topic of the day:
In the Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, a mock referendum on their accession to Russia is being held. "Voting" will be held for five days, in house-to-house territories, at polling stations, and even "online." Ukrainian authorities urged citizens in the occupied territories to ignore the "referendums" and not to open their doors to strangers.

Why it matters:
The holding of sham referendums has been condemned by most of the world's leading countries and international organizations. Their results will be considered legally null and void. Putin and his entourage hastily conduct them in order to legalize the use of conscripts and mobilized men in the war against Ukraine to supposedly defend the new Russian territories. This move will justify, in the eyes of Russians, the use of conscripts in this war - approximately 250,000 from the spring and fall drafts. According to media reports, the seventh point of Putin's mobilization decree allows the Defense Ministry to conscript 1 million people. By the way, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov already told reporters on Friday that Russia would view Ukraine's attempts to retake Donbass and other territories as an attack on its lands and specified that "immediately [after the decision to become part of the Russian Federation] the Constitution of the Russian Federation will begin to apply to the territories." Taking into account the fact that the training of mobilized and conscripts is much lower than the combat experience of cadres and contract servicemen, the level of losses of the Russian army in the war against Ukraine will increase many times, and the war will drag on for a long time.

What the independent media report:
Occupied parts of Ukraine vote to join Russia in "sham" referenda. (CNN)
Russia imposes "fictitious" vote to annex partially controlled Ukrainian territories. (RFE/RL)
Kremlin puppets stage referendums as Russia seeks to seize Ukrainian lands. (The Washington Post)

What the Russian media write:
Peskov: Moscow will view strikes on Donbass and liberated territories as an attack on Russia. (TASS)
Referendums in the DNR, LNR, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions. (Rossiyskaya Gazeta)
The DPR began a referendum on the republic's membership in Russia. (RIA)


[24-25 September 2022]


Topic of the weekend:
Putin's "cook"-oligarch Evgeny Prigozhin, part-time owner of the private military company (PMC) "Wagner", famous for war crimes in different countries and sending prisoners to the war in Ukraine, already three times a hero - Russia and pro-Moscow quasi-state formations "DNR" and "LNR".

Why it matters:
By comparison, there were only three thrice-heroes in Soviet history: Marshal Budyonny, and ace pilots Air Marshals Ivan Kozhedub and Alexander Pokryshkin.

Prigozhin, who was repeatedly convicted during the Soviet era, earned his nickname by catering to Putin's top officials in Russia, but is better known as the owner of the "troll factory" in Olgino and owner of the Wagner PMC, who put the mobilization of Russian criminals for the war against Ukraine on stream. According to some reports, 7 to 10 thousand prisoners were recruited into the ranks of this PMC, including with the personal involvement of Prigozhin. Most of these "recruits" with no experience were killed or lost limbs as a result of combat operations. It is also reported about the schemes of enriching Prigozhin by closing criminal cases and extinguishing criminal records. The carte blanche given to Prigozhin by the Putin administration for such mobilization actions confirms the high losses among Russian cadres at the front and indicates the growing weakness of the dictatorial regime. In addition, it is very likely that in the future this oligarch will have his own army to fight for power in post-Putin Russia along with Kadyrov.

What the independent media report:
Prigozhin recruited a cannibal from a Saratov colony to fight the war in Ukraine - Romanov. (The Insider)
Russia's Wagner PMC is trying to recruit more than 1,500 criminals for the war in Ukraine. (Euractiv)
News about "PMC", changes on the subject of recruiting convicts for war. (Gulagu.net)

What the Russian media write:
Three stars were spotted on Yevgeny Prigozhin's chest. (Moskovsky Komsomolets)
Evgeny Prigozhin appeared in public with three Gold Star Heroes. (Military Review)
Evgeny Prigozhin appeared in public with the hero stars of three states. (Lenta.ru)


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