✔️ 2022-03-16 20:52:54 – Paris/France.
President Vladimir V. Putin on Wednesday called pro-Western Russians "scum and traitors" who needed to be removed from society, describing the war in Ukraine as part of an existential clash with the United States and opening the way to an ever fiercer war. repression at home and more aggression abroad.
Claiming that the West was trying to "cancel Russia", the Russian leader mixed his speech with derision towards the "beautiful political world" in Europe and the United States, and towards the "slave-holding" Russians who supported him. It was a much harsher message than that delivered earlier in the day by Mr Putin's Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov, who said Russia saw "some hope that a compromise could be found with Ukraine to end the war. .
The clash of tone indicated that even if Mr Putin ordered his officials to explore a negotiated end to a war in which Russia faced far heavier resistance than the Kremlin had anticipated, he was ready to continue to raise the stakes of its conflict with the West. .
And by reserving his harshest language for his fellow Russians who disagreed with him, Mr Putin opened the door to a new wave of repression which analysts fear could hit a much wider section of society. broader than the activists and journalists the Kremlin has been targeting lately. month.
"The Russian people will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew into their mouths," Putin said. “I am convinced that such a natural and necessary self-purification of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, our cohesion and our ability to respond to all challenges. »
The beginnings of a new repression quickly emerged. Authorities announced the initiation of criminal proceedings against a popular lifestyle blogger, Veronika Belotserkovskaya, for anti-war posts on Instagram that "discredited state authorities and the armed forces of the Russian Federation". The government blocked access to the BBC News website and promised that this was "just the beginning of the response to the information war launched by the West against Russia".
“An unprecedented information campaign has been launched, involving global social networks and all Western media, whose objectivity and independence have proven to be just a myth,” Putin said. “The fight we are waging is a fight for our sovereignty, for the future of our country and our children. »
Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of a political analysis firm, R. Politik, said Mr Putin was signaling to law enforcement authorities across the country that they should target "all spheres of society that show any sympathy for the western way of life.
“This speech was, in part, an informal and indirect sanction of the mass repression,” Ms. Stanovaya said. “His speech was scary – very scary. »
Mr Putin insisted in his speech, which he delivered at the start of a televised videoconference with senior officials, that Russia's military tactics in Ukraine had been "fully justified". But even pro-Kremlin analysts said Russia was mired in a much bloodier conflict than expected – because Mr Putin apparently believed many Ukrainian soldiers would lay down their arms rather than fight.
"The military operation is, without a doubt, more difficult than expected," said Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin commentator who frequently appears on state television. “It was expected that 30-50% of the Ukrainian armed forces would go to the side of Russia. Nobody rocks. »
As a result, Mr Putin appears to be seeking an exit that would fall short of his original aim of toppling the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine – even as his army continues to pound Ukrainian cities.
Russian and Ukrainian officials spoke via video link for a third straight day on Wednesday, and Mr Putin's chief negotiator said there had been 'some progress on a number of positions, but not all' .
But Mr Putin has made clear he sees Ukraine only as a battleground in his wider conflict with the West – a fight, he reiterated on Wednesday, that he sees as existential .
Ms Stanovaya said Mr Putin appeared to leave the unpleasant job of brokering a compromise to end the war to his officials, while himself setting the stage for greater confrontation with the West and pro-Western Russians .
"It's dirty work to negotiate with the Nazis," she said, alluding sarcastically to Mr Putin's rhetoric about Ukraine's leadership. “He has little reason to be happy in this situation. »
SOURCE: Reviews News
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