U.S. reporter James Jordan, AP’s News Director for Europe & Africa, tried to put the Russian President on the defensive, citing Ukrainian drones hitting St. Petersburg, Russia’s inability to achieve its war aims, and so on. He then asked: “Given this, is it still logical to pursue your war aim of controlling the hold of the Donbass region, or are you ready to make a deal?”
Putin didn’t blink: “First of all, one does not exclude the other. Controlling the entire Donbass region and making a deal are not mutually exclusive.” Then he reviewed “the actual situation on the ground” in Ukraine. “Russian troops are advancing along the entire line of contact. There is not a single place where Russian troops are not advancing. The biggest problem facing the Ukrainian Armed Forces today is a disastrous shortage of personnel.
“Recently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been reduced by 100,000 personnel…. Monthly losses are approximately 40,000. Forced mobilization brings in around 15,000-16,000 per month, and about 14,000 return from hospitals after being wounded. So, each month, there is a net loss of roughly 10,000 personnel. On top of that, around 20,000 desert each month. At the start of this year, the number of deserters was around 60,000. People are being forcibly taken—there is no motivation, no one wants to fight.
“Since you mentioned Donbass, the Russian army is currently in full control of the Lugansk People’s Republic—100 percent. Over 85 percent of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic is under our control…. We also control 80 percent of the Zaporozhye Region. This process continues on a daily basis.”
“True, Western sponsors supply a great number of drones for Ukraine,” but Russia has an air defense system. “We must surely refine it. Yes, we must reinforce it, and we will by all means do it.” But “Ukraine has no such system whatsoever…. They have Patriots and other types of weapons, but the shortage is catastrophic. But the system as such does not exist. Similarly, Ukraine has no strike systems like those the Russian Federation has. By that I mean hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles—sea-, air- and ground-launched. We also have something vital—the Russian people’s patriotism and strong will that guarantee that we will achieve all the goals and objectives of the special military operation.”
