Vladimir Putin found time on his birthday for a summit with his combat generals and issued a statement, warning the West to abandon any hope he might compromise over Ukraine
Vladimir Putin held a mystery meeting with his top generals on his birthday. The strange summit, which took place as he turned 73 on Tuesday (October 7), has left analysts questioning what his motives are.
The Russian President held the sit-down in his hometown of St Petersburg, according to Russian media. He welcomed his combat generals and, after asking the press to leave, set them tasks that experts in Kyiv, Brussels, and Washington can only guess at.
Putin and the Chief of the General Staff later issued an official statement claiming that the armed forces are working towards and will achieve their goals in Ukraine. In tune with recent threatening messages, the statement seemed to rule out any compromise.
The army is a source of pride, it added. And it insisted that the defence industry has not failed. The statement added that Russia has the strategic initiative and claimed that Ukraine’s “terrorist tactics” cannot help it.
The Chief of the General Staff also named locations that Russia aims to soon seize from Ukraine – listing them as Kupyansk, Pokrovsk, Yampol, Kostyantynivka, and Siversk. It claimed that Ukraine’s armed forces, in trying to contain the Russian advance, are burning through strategic reserves and suffering irreparable losses in manpower, which will eventually lead to their front’s collapse.
Military expert Boris Rozhin analysed the statements by Putin and the Chief of the General Staff. He said: “The special military operation (SVO) will continue until the intended goals are achieved.”
He added that the statement is also an answer to whether Russia would be willing to abandon key demands for the sake of Donald Trump’s deal. Strikes deep within Ukraine will continue, targeting both military-industrial complex facilities and infrastructure, according to the statement.
The Kyiv regime’s military potential, it said, must be reduced to zero. Mr Rozhin added that Putin hasn’t shifted the position he declared in July: “The next conditions for the enemy will be worse than those proposed this summer.”
The source ‘Adequate Z’ said Putin is declaring his unchanged goals for the SVO to warn forces in the West that would like Russia to scale back its goals and objectives. The source said: “If anyone, including in the White House, has any illusions to the contrary, it has been made clear and unambiguous that it’s best not to feed on these illusions lest you feel sick to your stomach later.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .
#Putin #gathers #top #generals #mystery #birthday #meeting #Ukraine #blitz
