The hawks push Vladimir Putin to use the atomic bomb and conspire to assume the highest post of Russian military command, that of Defense Minister Sergej Shoigu. Tactical nuclear weapons would represent a point of no return in the war in Ukraine because they would put NATO in the position of having to decide on direct intervention in the conflict. The biggest sponsor of the escalation is Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov who, after the Russian withdrawal of Lyman, pointed the finger at Russian military leaders, advising Putin to use localized nuclear weapons.
The other hawk is Evgenij Prigozhin, chief and founder of the infamous Wagner Mercenary Brigade. The axis with Chechen is firm: “Well said Ramzan. Send all this garbage barefoot straight to the front,” Kadyrov wrote, as reported by Repubblica, quoting the words of Andrei Pertsev, a Russian analyst.
According to the expert “with excellent sources in the Kremlin” Prigozhin and Kadyrov are planning to overthrow the Defense Minister. His private armies – the Chechens and Wagner – “are proving decisive on the ground” and the tsar blindly trusts them both. But among those who want to celebrate in Shoigu are the former bodyguard and current governor of Tula, Aleksej Djumin, and the former governor of Yaroslav and assistant to the president, Dimitrij Mironov.
Meanwhile, the progress of the war with the strong Ukrainian counter-offensive driving away the Russians can no longer be hidden. In the last few hours, the map showing the Russian retreat from Kherson that appeared behind General Igor Konashenkov at the Ministry of Defense’s daily briefing was discussed. At the meeting he didn’t mention the losses, but it was clear to everyone on the map.
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
