Russia “moves forward”: Vladimir Putin, energized by Ukraine’s difficulties, displayed his confidence in a victory on Thursday during a question-and-answer session, a week after announcing his intention to stay in Kremlin.
Confident that in 2024 time will work in his favor in Ukraine and that the setbacks of his army in 2022 are a thing of the past, the Russian president resumed this exercise, answering questions from the press and citizens, which he had renounced on last year.
Asked about the assaults carried out by the Russian army since the end of the abortive Ukrainian counter-offensive, the Russian president showed his satisfaction.
“Practically along the entire length of the line of contact, our armed forces are improving their positions,” he said.
Uncompromising on his goals
On Ukraine, he made it clear, after nearly two years of deadly fighting, that his objectives were unchanged: to drive out the current power, which he describes as Nazi, and destroy the military capabilities of his pro-Western neighbor for him. impose neutrality.
“I remind you what we talked about: the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine, its neutral status,” he said, adding that the solution “will be negotiated or obtained by force.”
Asked about the economy’s resistance to sanctions, he was just as confident.
His country has a “sufficient margin of security” due to the “strong consolidation of Russian society”, the “stability of the country’s financial and economic system” and the “increase in military capabilities” of Moscow.
This margin is “sufficient not only to feel confident, but also to move forward”.
Since midday in Moscow, Mr. Putin has been answering questions, sorted by the Kremlin, from journalists and citizens to take stock of the “year”.
Usually he has two meetings of this type per year: one with the press, the other with his compatriots. This time the exercises were merged and last year they were canceled as Russian troops suffered setbacks and the economy suffered under sanctions.
Drone attacks
Now Mr. Putin, who announced last week his intention to stay in the Kremlin for the presidential election in March 2024, is showing his optimism.
On the front, the Ukrainian summer counter-offensive failed and Moscow’s forces regained the initiative, gaining ground for several weeks.
The Russian army launched 42 drones against southern Ukraine in the night alone from Wednesday to Thursday. Ukraine said it killed 41, but the scale of the attack illustrates the growing military pressure from Moscow.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian capital was targeted by ten missiles which, according to the Ukrainian authorities, were all neutralized in flight. But the debris left around fifty people injured as it fell, the heaviest death toll in kyiv in months.
The Ukrainian army, for its part, launched nine explosive drones towards Russia during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, all were shot down.
Putin may also be content to see Ukraine’s Western backers quarreling over continued military aid and Ukraine’s prospects for EU membership.
Despite the West’s attempts to isolate him, Vladimir Putin has begun a return to the international scene with recent trips to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where he was received with honors, notwithstanding the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court against him.
After some turbulence, the Russian economy seems for the moment to absorb the shock of the sanctions, even if their longer-term effects could be devastating.
The Russian president stressed that he expected GDP growth of 3.5% this year: “This means that we have caught up and that we have taken a big step forward.”
Moscow continues to sell its hydrocarbons for the immediate future, earning enough revenue to finance the war effort and direct the economy to the production of arms and munitions.
2 million complaints
According to Russian television, more than 2 million questions were sent to Vladimir Putin for Thursday’s show, covering the conflict in Ukraine but also daily life issues.
He should therefore also detail his ambitions for a new mandate, until 2030, the year he turns 78. In the absence of real opposition, methodically eradicated by the Kremlin, its victory in March 2024 seems obvious.
His main detractor, the imprisoned anti-corruption activist Alexeï Navalny, has not been found for more than a week. This could mean his transfer to a penal colony with even harsher conditions, where he will have to serve his 19-year prison sentence for “extremism”.