The Russian despot hinted at his would-be successor in a major speech declaring the baton should be passed to people who ‘fear nothing in serving their country’
Vladimir Putin has hinted that his successor would be a conflict-scarred veteran from his botched invasion of Ukraine, boasting that he is filling his government and tame parliament with war-hardened fighters.
The 72-year-old said “I know that veterans of our military operations are joining your ranks [in parliament],”a meeting of party leaders from parliament. “They will be our successors,” he promised. “I know that veterans of our military operations are joining your ranks [in parliament],” he said.
“I am confident that they will make a positive contribution to the work of political parties…in the State Duma [parliament], and in the federal government…. We must seek out, find, and promote people who fear nothing in serving their country and who are willing to risk their health and their lives. And such people must be promoted to leadership positions. They will be our successors….
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“Thank you for putting forward exactly these kinds of people [with experience of the war].” Putin has suffered new blows in the war as a graveyard of military vehicles was recently pictured on the so-called ‘Road of Death’ in Russia’s Kursk region.
Blitzed Ural military trucks and ISDM mine laying systems lie strewn along with UAZ vans and Ladas on the roadside near Snagost, close to the Ukrainian border.
In the same war-ravaged region, Ukraine’s special operations forces staged a strike on a Russian logistics hub. This ignited an ammunitions storage base and a weapons store belonging to the 810th separate marine brigade, said Ukrainian sources.
Putin today continued his relentless attacks on Ukraine – despite only snail-like progress in grabbing new territory. In Kyiv, a drone aimed at civilians in residential tower blocks was seen exploding in the night sky after being intercepted by air defences.
Putin also held nuclear submarine war games in the Sea of Okhotsk in a warning to the West. The Krasnoyarsk and Omsk submarines were shown “successfully” carrying out cruise missile launches with Onyx and Granite missiles at a sea target. The latest Russian onslaught came after Donald Trump said in Britain of Putin: “He’s let me down. He’s really let me down.”
With seven regions under fire, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “The Russians are hitting civilians at a time when the whole world, especially the United States, is calling for peace.
“We hear President Trump’s position on stopping the killings and have agreed to all proposals to unblock diplomacy. But it seems Russia does not hear this position…. Decisive actions are needed so that Russia finally agrees to diplomacy as well.”.