Putin initiated planting of Soviet-style network of state-informers into the the Russian ministries and state-owned companies, writes The Telegraph. The networks task will be to report on the "emotional state and mood" of the staff. This idea, reminding of Stalin paranoia in the 1930-s, will not only push Putin’s political agenda, but also ensure official support for his war in Ukraine. The political comissars will hold the rank of deputy ministers and report directly to the Presidential Administration. The Telegraph references Kommersant, which previously has qouted three people close to the Administration who had reported that the idea of of "political officers" emerged last year due to "problems with loyalty to the current power axis", and the war had increased urgency to implement the plan.
Former President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko wrote a column on The Guardian, focusing on his experience with Putin that goes back to 2000, when they both were prime ministers. In 2004 Yushchenko faced Putin actively campaigning against him during the Presidential campaign. Even then, according to Yushchenko’s experience, Putin was willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals, however since he became even more isolated and brutal. The former President of Ukraine claims that the one of the greatest weapons we have against Putin is international solidarity and support. He is worried over the upcoming fatigue from news about the atrocities happening in Ukraine, and it is essential to make sure the world keeps watching. He concludes stating that victory for Ukraine is inevitable as it fights for freedom and dignity.
Soon after the February 24th a package of American military assistance amounted to $350 million and included a self-defense means, portable anti-tank armor and small-arms. Over the past two weeks, the United States has given Ukraine $1.6 billion in aid, which included helicopters, kamikaze drones and infantry fighting vehicles. Now 8-10 cargo planes with aid for Ukraine land daily on the bases of our neighboring countries. 2-3 days ― and itʼs in Ukraine. What caused such a change in the American position? The Financial Times sought to understand the issue and identified four main factors. The first is that the effectiveness of the Ukrainian army has surpassed all official and unofficial forecasts of the Pentagon analysts. The expectation that Ukraine will last for days or weeks and caused the arms supplies to be modest at first The second factor is the public activity of Volodymyr Zelensky, who has become very popular in the world and in the United States in particular. He demands actively to send Ukraine heavy arms. The third factor is that if Joe Biden first tried to "pacify" Putin, to leave the way for further peaceful coexistence with the Russian dictator, but after the "first phase" of the war, the rhetoric of the American president became noticeably tougher. Calling Putin a "war criminal," Biden is already much less worried about Russiaʼs threats. And American specialists are once again training for the Ukrainian military in Europe ― something that did not happen in February-March. And the fourth factor is the USʼs understanding that the war could last more than a month, and that Ukraine needs adequate resources.
In January, The Washington Post correspondents spoke with several Ukrainians who decided to join the newly formed Territorial Defense. Now the newspaper has spoken to them again ― several of them have already been on the front lines in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Among them, for example, 48-year-old Oleksiy Bida, a native of Luhansk and a graphic designer. He joined the battalion defending Kyiv near Irpin and Bucha. He recalls how the Russians fired on everything they could in those cities. And, hoping that the Russian resources will eventually run out, he plans to go to the Ukrainian Crimea for his next birthday. Yaroslav Mudryk, a 43-year-old resident of Kyiv who worked for an American perfume company before the war, also had more than one combat mission. He already has wounds on his face from the wreckage of a Russian shell. He says that immediately after his bleeding was stopped, he continued to fight ― and only a CT scan at the hospital showed that there were fragments left in his body. Yaroslav is convinced that the war should end in the complete defeat of Russia. "Its troops must be destroyed to the last fighter, otherwise they will want to return. Russians always do that,” he said.