White House calls out Putin for masking retreat in Ukraine
‘He hasn’t been honest with his own people’: White House calls out Putin for masking retreat of Russian forces amid Ukrainian advances and rare public criticism of his rule from below – but warns war is ‘unpredictable’
- The White House said Vladimir Putin had been lying to his own people Tuesday
- It comes as Ukrainian forces seize back swaths of territory from Russian troops
- John Kirby noted how Putin is coming under growing criticism at home
The White House accused Vladimir Putin of lying to his own people about the invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, as the Russian president faced growing criticism of his handling of the war.
Ukrainian forces trumpeted more gains as they continued to push back Russian troops, putting them in control of 1,500 square miles of recaptured territory.
At the same time, a growing chorus of criticism has raised the idea that the war and Putin could have reached a tipping point.
‘Mr. Putin has tried to obscure the war in Ukraine since it started – actually ‘I’d go so far as to say before it started, calling it a special military operation,’ said White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday. ‘It’s a war.
‘And he hasn’t been honest with his own people about what he’s doing there, why he’s doing it and what he’s doing it with.
‘And he certainly hasn’t been honest with the Russian people about the struggles that the Russian military have had in the conduct of this war – to include casualties and losses of equipment and systems.
‘So we note that he’s coming under more more criticism, but it’s going to really be up to the Russian people to decide how they handle that.’
White House security spokesman John Kirby accused Vladimir Putin of not being straight with the Russian people after a string of reversals as Ukrainian forces pushed ahead
Putin is suddenly facing a wave of criticism at home for his handling of the war
A Ukrainian soldier helps his wounded fellow soldier while military vehicles move on the road in the freed territory in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday. Ukrainian forces have retaken a swath of territory in a rapid advance that could spell trouble for Vladimir Putin
Head of Russian Orthodox Church urges people to pray for Putin
An ominous warning has come from Russia’s top churchman that the time has come to pray for Putin.
Russia is in ‘a time of anxiety’ which is ‘very disturbing’, according to recent comments by the normally staunchly pro-Kremlin Patriarch Kirill.
‘Now the time has come that we must pray stronger than ever for our Fatherland, for our president, for our army, so that the country has strength to maintain its true independence,’ he said.
It comes after Ukraine scored a stunning victory against the Russian armed forces by routing them near the city of Kharkiv, leading some to hope that a turning point in the war has been reached.
‘I want to say one more time that we live in a very difficult time,’ the patriarch continued.
‘So our prayer today is special, we pray for the head of our state, the Supreme Commander Vladimir Putin who bears very special responsibility.
‘We also pray for all war commanders and those in power.
‘So that Lord gives them wisdom and strength, protects them from sins and mistakes, and inspires them to actions that would protect our Fatherland from every outside threat.’
This included ‘even perhaps the most dangerous and terrible threats’, he said at the Danilov Monastery in Moscow.
The influential Kirill did not make clear what ‘sins and mistakes’ he meant but urged, echoing Putin: ‘We must pray that all dangers will pass our Motherland, so that those who dream of crushing Russia as an independent, truly independent state, will be left with nothing.
‘Russia does not depend on any centres of power that are outside its sovereign territory.
‘This is a great privilege, but it is also a huge cross, because there are always those who would like to bring such a rich, strong country as Russia into the orbit of their influence.’
Russia has a ‘special historical path’ and a ‘worldwide fateful mission’, he said.
‘Today this special mission is returning and placed on the shoulders of our people.’
Ukraine’s border guard services said the army had taken control of Vovchansk – a town two miles from Russia that was seized on the first day of the invasion.
It is the latest success for a counteroffensive that including taking back more than 20 settlements in 24 hours at the weekend, capturing territory at least twice the size of greater London, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The setbacks for Russian troops brought criticism of Putin at the weekend – unusual, if not unprecedented in a country where the Kremlin comes down hard on dissidents.
‘It is absolutely impossible to defeat Ukraine,’ Former State Duma Deputy Boris Nadezhdin said during a panel discussion on state TV.
However, he allowed Putin a get-out, suggesting he may have been misled by his officials and generals.
‘The people who convinced President Putin that the special operation would be fast and effective, that we wouldn‘t strike the civilian population … these people really set all of us up,’ he said.
‘The president didn’t just think: “Why don’t I start a special operation”. Someone told him that Ukrainians will surrender, that they will flee and come to Russia.’
At about the same time, some 40 elected officials signed a petition demanding Putin leave office.
And hardline nationalists also questioned the Russian strategy
Chechen leader and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov published an 11-minute tirade on the Telegram messaging app.
‘If today or tomorrow changes are not made in the conduct of the special military operation, I will be forced to go to the country’s leadership to explain to them the situation on the ground,’ Kadyrov said.
Observers said that it could be the start of a domestic push against Putin, who has run Russia with an iron fist when it came to dissent.
Former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said Ukraine had pulled off a successful disinformation campaign, allowing it to regain territory and change perceptions of Putin at home.
‘This is just when you think the Russian military can’t perform any worse,’ he said.
‘They surprise you and perform worse. I mean, great credit to Ukraine here I’m sure we were responsible for part of it with intelligence and other assistance.
‘But the great credit to the Ukrainians, they pulled off a huge disinformation operation by talking about a southern invasion for weeks. Maybe months, and they attacked in the north.
‘There’s no chance now I think that they can ask for a ceasefire while they’re retreating.
‘That would be a signal of weakness on their part that I don’t think they can afford and I think for the first time in this war, this seed is significant enough that it will have political effects.
‘In fact, Putin is endangered. He’s in more trouble now than he’s been since the invasion.’
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton said rapid Ukrainian advances had weakened the position of Putin for the first time, making it more likely he could use nuclear weapons
Ukraine has recaptured thousands of square miles of territory in the past two weeks, routing Russian troops east of Kharkiv in a surprise attack while making slow but steady advances around Kherson
And that raised a worrying scenario. Rather than trying to claw back the initiative, Bolton told the John Catsimitidis show on WABC radio in New York, the weapons might help Putin stave off challenges in Moscow at a time when he is in real political peril for the first time.
His warning echoes that of Rose Gottemoeller, NATO deputy secretary general from 2016 to 2019.
She said the Russians may ‘strike back in really unpredictable ways’ after Ukraine inflicted a humiliating rout on their forces in the north.
Reports on Monday from the Ukrainian military stated that their forces freed more than 20 settlements in 24 hours, capturing territory at least twice the size of greater London, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The setbacks for Russian troops brought criticism of Putin at the weekend – unusual, if not unprecedented in a country where the Kremlin comes down hard on dissidents.
It has worked quickly to stifle any criticism of its invasion.
But things changed at the weekend as Russia was forced to withdraw troops from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city.
Rose Gottemoeller said Russia could ‘strike back in really unpredictable ways’ following its latest humiliation in the east of Ukraine, including using nuclear weapons
Firefighters work at a site of a building damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv
A man stands in front of the gate of local market with heavily damaged shops after latest Russian rocket attack in Dnipro, Ukraine
On Sunday and Monday that prompted Russian forces to lash out by targeting critical infrastructure in what Ukrainian officials saw as a fit of pique.
Even so, Ukrainians have described a new optimism.
Inna Sovsun, the deputy leader of the Holos Party, said the speed at which Russian forces retreated was ‘amazing and unbelievable.’
‘For the first time since February 24, I can say I’m actually feeling OK,’ she told the PA news agency.
‘I’m cautiously optimistic.’
Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said Kyiv had no intention of slowing its advance
‘The operation is ongoing. Its aim is the full liberation of Kharkiv region… We believe that this will happen in the nearest future,’ Hanna Malyar said live on television from the recaptured town of Balakliia.
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