(PatriotWise.com)- Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked the US and its NATO allies, accusing them of stealing Russian assets and using his so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine as a pretext for a long-term strategy to weaken Russia.
In a speech to Kremlin officials, a visibly angry Putin admitted that the sanctions imposed on Russia have made it “difficult for us at the moment.” He said Russian banks, enterprises, and businesses were facing “unprecedented pressure,” telling Kremlin officials that Russia’s economy would need “deep structural changes.”
The Russian president acknowledged that the sanctions have caused price hikes Russian citizens can’t afford and said the Kremlin will “take action” soon to increase “social payments” like benefits and pensions.
Blasting the “illegal seizure” of billions of Russian assets in foreign banks, Putin blamed it on a plot by the “collective West” who have “simply no use for a strong and sovereign Russia.” He said the West can’t forgive Russia for “standing up for our national interests.”
Putin also told Kremlin officials that his operation in Ukraine is going along swimmingly and everything is conforming “with the approved plan.” He repeated his ludicrous justification for invading Ukraine, claiming that his special military operation was to prevent Ukraine from carrying out its plan of “massacre” and “ethnic cleansing,” boasting that Russian forces “have shattered these plans.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon was painting a very different picture of this situation in Ukraine.
Last week, a senior defense official told reporters that Russian forces, unprepared for the pushback from Ukrainian forces, have stalled throughout the country. While the official acknowledged that the Russians are still able to maintain their “force in the field,” he added that it has not been “without difficulty.”
According to the official, Russian troops are “frozen around the country on multiple lines of axes.” They are struggling to keep forces fueled, fed, and supplied as they face “a very determined Ukrainian resistance.”
