The Russian leader says his military doesn’t have enough « modern weapons » and Moscow’s air defenses aren’t up to par. Could these admissions be another tactic?
Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past week has publicly acknowledged several military shortcomings, from insufficient weapons to expensive equipment losses.
For a leader who has so infrequently admitted to failures throughout his war in Ukraine, Putin’s recent admissions have given rise to speculation that he might be employing a new strategy.
Putin on Friday spoke during a press conference in Sochi about the launch of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the war he started with the February 24, 2022, invasion. During his comments, Putin said his military lacks « modern weapons » before adding that Russia’s defense industry would solve the issue.
Putin made more admissions of shortcomings regarding the war in Ukraine during a Tuesday meeting with pro-Kremlin military bloggers. He said his air defenses were not properly prepared to respond to the recent attacks on border regions like Belgorod, and he added that Russia had lost 54 tanks during the course of Ukraine’s current counteroffensive.
