(BELGOROD, RUSSIA) – The Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has dismissed the governors of the frontline Belgorod and Bryansk regions, a move seen as an attempt to shift blame for his own military failures months before Russia’s September elections.
This was an intentional move with which the Russian dictator is trying to blame others for his own miscalculations and the failed blitzkrieg that now develops as a special military operation of the Ukrainian army deep inside Russian territory. The more Russian regions feel affected by this war, the more they ask questions.
The Russian dictator is preparing his strategy, suggesting that the governor of Belgorod or the governor of Kursk region, who was fired previously, are actually responsible for the failures in their regions. Defence is a strategy designed by the head of state. In most countries, the leader is responsible for foreign affairs and for the defence of the country. All of these governors were only doing what he told them.
The governor of Belgorod region recently recorded several videos in which he openly criticised the Russian dictator, speaking about the danger of internet shutdowns in Russian war zones because this way they could not warn people about air raids. There were times when the governor openly criticised the Russian dictator for choosing to keep attacking Ukrainian cities instead of providing enough air defence in regions like Belgorod.
There are so many Russian regions that are a war zone now. The Russian dictator’s plan failed and the “special military operation” began developing once again deep inside Russian territory, now reaching areas once considered totally safe even in times of the Second World War. There are a lot of questions that Russians want to ask the Kremlin and the Kremlin has no answers, which is why they choose these people to blame them.
This can actually lead to some protest or dissatisfaction. The Kursk governor was fired previously and some of his deputies were arrested, all because of the visit of the Ukrainian armed forces to the region that even Russian propagandists did not know how to explain. Beyond any ground operations, the 21st century war is very much a war of drones and Ukraine’s ability to destroy oil and gas depots, to paralyse the work of airports, to neutralise arsenals of weapons and military production sites even as deep as Chelyabinsk, known as a tank city because of its safety and distant location from the western borders. Now all of that is exposed to Ukrainian drones.
The Russian dictator still prioritises just his bunkers, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, developing circles of air defence around big capitals, but forgets about war torn regions. One can find many videos from Bryansk and deeper inside Russian territory where the governors do have to speak the truth. They keep saying that these were debris, but the reality shows how well these debris are burning, destroying huge oil refineries, destroying export arsenals and much more.
These governors began asking the Kremlin for real support. It was a moment when they realised that spreading lies does not work with real drones, with real problems that occur in war torn regions. They slowly but persistently began addressing the Kremlin, describing their problems, the need to evacuate people from some active combat territories, the lack of air defence systems, and the inability to provide people money or housing in case they are evacuated or lost something. They needed a dialogue.
Ukraine is constantly attacked by Russia. For example, one day they sent hundreds of drones on the western part of Ukraine and the city of Lutsk was targeted and a couple of buildings were destroyed but luckily no victims among the people. This is the reality of Ukraine but the country does have systems that support people. There are question and answer hotlines, programmes that support internally relocated people and most importantly Ukraine does not pretend that war is not happening or claim these are just debris.
In the context of such pressure it is very important to be honest with each other. It is very important to speak the truth. Then you feel respect. You know that the government hears you, your neighbours hear you. This honesty and sincerity is something that helps Ukraine a lot.
In Russia, they have just the opposite. They see drones destroying military arsenals. They see the consequences of the destruction of oil depots, refineries like in Tuapse. They can see oil falling as rain and the government tells them nothing is happening. It was very difficult for the governor of Belgorod to pretend that nothing is happening and with each address, with each new video recorded, they became more and more critical.
There were times when they openly said that perhaps it is wiser to prioritise the aerial defence of Belgorod over attacks on Ukraine. Many deputies in the Russian parliament started blaming him as a traitor. If you were a resident of Belgorod, would you support such questions from your governor? Yes, because every day you live in the conditions of war. When they know that he is fired by the Russian dictator, they will feel angry. They will feel angry that no one listens to them. They are constantly shut down. This is about real people being shut down by the Kremlin.
If this approach worked back in 2023 when there were a couple of Ukrainian drones visiting a couple of oil depots, now there are hundreds and there are hundreds of explosions on strategic sites all over the Russian Federation. They know that explosions were heard in Chelyabinsk and they remember how these cities were totally safe in times of the Second World War and before the beginning of the Russian dictator’s blitzkrieg that was intended as a way to make Russia safer, at least what they spread all over the country.
Of course, it was total disinformation, but that was central to the Russian dictator’s regime that he provides stability. People agreed to give up their freedoms for the sake of this security and stability. Now they do not have internet, they do not have money, they do not have stability, they do not have security. They receive more and more problems, more and more war literally to the doors of their houses because of the Russian dictator. If someone supports them, speaks for them, represents them as these governors, the Russian dictator fires them.
This move will not remain unnoticed. This toxic opposition is brewing in Russia. There are no real democrats growing in that society. There are no real opposition movements coming from outside. But there are definitely the Russian dictator’s former friends or similar people who want to substitute him and they may use this as an opportunity. This September elections will be nervous for him.
Many people ask who can become the next leader of Russia. Quite often the name of Shoigu comes up. It does not seem that realistic. Many think a worse person may come. It is not that easy to find a worse person than the Russian dictator. The problem with Russia is not who is their leader. The problem with Russia is the totally destroyed feeling of civil responsibility, inability to build democracy, inability to learn from your neighbours without disrespecting them or feeling humiliated.
It is normal to exchange knowledge, practices, to speak about your traumatic experience as Ukraine does about communism and then to learn something from friends and then to teach something to friends like drone defence. That is what Russians cannot do.
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