On the one-month anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s assault of Ukraine, Moscow declared everything is “working as planned.”
Moscow also claimed that society in the “free and independent” areas is “getting back to normal.”
This is Not Going Well
There have been findings of massive losses again for the world’s fifth-largest army, alleged field deaths of innumerable generals, as well as a high-profile forced resignation from a Putin adviser.
However, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) communications director Maria Zakharova has tried to claim everything is going according to plan in Russia’s so-called “special military campaign.”
“It’s been exactly one month since the beginning of the special military campaign in Ukraine. Everything is progressing according to schedule, and all of the declared objectives will be met,” Zakharova said on Twitter, as per the MFA’s verified account.
“In the districts that have already been liberated from extremists, life is back to normal,” the envoy stated.
🔥 War footage 🔥 Chechen fighters in Mariupol. #Ukraine #UkraineWar #UkraineCrisis #UkraineUnderAttaсk #war
pic.twitter.com/7wVJ2o0yXs— Freedom Figther (@TheFanVoice) March 23, 2022
Russia has tried to secure the Donbas separatist territories.
These territories border Russia and have historically been held by Russian contractors and separatists, with conflict raging in Donetsk, as well as Luhansk.
The two eastern Ukrainian areas were recognized as independent by Russian President Vladimir Putin before the invasion.
Despite the fact that Russia began a multi-pronged assault on February 24, some western officials believe Putin may forgo his efforts to conquer Kyiv (Kiev) and other flanks in order to focus Russian Armed Forces operations in the Donbas.
“I think what’s evident is the initial Russian plan of having three different [axes] of maneuver, operating them all at the same time, and achieving their goals swiftly has been thwarted.”
“While major cities will continue to be bombarded, I believe we will see a focus of maneuver actions in the east,” a NATO insider told The Times of London.
According to British intelligence, there is indeed a “possible” scenario in which Russian troops “facing significant supply and moral challenges” might be trapped and defeated by Ukrainian forces encircling Kyiv.
⚠️Warning Graphic ⚠️ Mariupol, Ukraine, War Footage, – Russian Soldier's Slaughtered by Ukrainian Resistance Forces , as Putin desperately tries to recruit mercenaries from Syria and Chechnya to replace the thousands of soldiers he sacrificed. pic.twitter.com/sN7DTscs3j
— Resistance Coalition Media (@Resistancecoal1) March 18, 2022
It is presently unknown how many Russian soldiers died as a direct result of the assault.
A NATO official claims the number of deaths is likely to be from 7,000 and 15,000, including up to 40,000 detained, missing, injured, or killed.
Russia, on the other hand, has only admitted to 498 deaths. On Sunday, the pro-Kremlin newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda, shared a post on its website (that was shortly thereafter removed), saying 9,861 Russian servicemen had been killed so far.
The publication continued by claiming it had been hacked. According to Ukrainian official media, roughly 15,300 Russians have been killed during the war.
According to reports, up to 20 Russian commanders have died in the field; however, this statistic is unsubstantiated and highly debated, with Putin acknowledging only one general’s death so far.
