The title of this article is misleading. Is it a mandatory draft? Also, the Kremlin says it is exaggerated.
Putin's mobilization decree drafts 300,000 reservists, and the Kremlin says reports of men fleeing are being exaggerated.
Russians flee after Putin's military call-up
Russian men are fleeing to the border Thursday in an attempt to avoid a troop call-up for the Ukraine war after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization the day prior.
Some people waited as long as seven hours to cross the border into Georgia, the BBC reported.
Putin's mobilization decree drafts 300,000 reservists, and the Kremlin says reports of men fleeing are being exaggerated.
Finland, which requires a visa to enter, said there is an increase in border traffic, but it has so far been manageable.
Additionally, one-way plane ticket prices are skyrocketing to places such as Istanbul and Dubai.
Meanwhile, Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Thursday signaled that those fleeing the draft would be welcome in her country.
An unidentified flying object crashed in the Russian city of Stavropol, about 350 kilometers (220 miles) from the Ukrainian border, on September 14, 2022.
As the aircraft caught fire, rescuers arrived at the crash scene and attempted to control the flames. An explosion occurred and injured six people, including four local residents and one fireman.
“In particular, a firefighter was burned while working at the scene,” reported the governor of the Stavropol Territory, Vladimir Vladimirov. “He has been hospitalized and is being treated by paramedics.”
Russian media channels claim that the unknown aircraft was in fact a Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh reconnaissance drone. Ukraine is currently the only known operator of the unmanned aircraft.
A large military drone appears to have crossed Hungarian airspace from Ukraine before crashing near the Croatian capital
Twitter users, however, point out the similarities between the wreckage of the aircraft and the Russian Kinzhal missile, notably the winglets and the separation mechanism of the weapon’s booster.
If anyone wondered what #crashed today in #russian Stavropol' region injuring 6 firefighters, you'd be very much surprised to know that it wasn't a "Ukrainian UAV", but a russian #Kinzhal missile. pic.twitter.com/QULK8kt2gJ
The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is most likely based on the first stage of the 9K720 Iskander-M ground-launched missile, with the addition of a booster. Russia advertises it as an air-launched hypersonic missile that can be carried by the Tu-22M bomber or the MiG-31 heavy interceptor. According to official Russian sources, it has a top speed of either Mach 10 or March 12 (10 or 12 times the speed of sound).
The presence of a booster on the wreckage indicates that the missile either misfired or was accidentally dropped by its carrier aircraft.
Three MiG-31 fighter jets, capable of carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, have been deployed in Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad
Was it destined for Kryvyi Rih?
The city of Kryvyi Rih, in central Ukraine, was threatened by floods after a Russian bombardment damaged hydraulic infrastructure on September 14, 2022, causing the water level of the river Inhulets to rise by a few meters.
“At the site of the missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, everything is being done to eliminate the consequences of yet another Russian vile act,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech released on September 15, 2022.
According to Valentyn Reznichenko, Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast where Kryvyi Rih is located, the Karachunivske Reservoir dam was targeted by either air-launched Kinzhal or ground-launched Iskander
In a bizarre incident on Thursday evening in Zagreb an unidentified crashed into a residential area in the Jarun neighborhood, leaving a large crater behind, with eyewitnesses reporting seeing parachutes and what looked like aircraft debris. Although there has been no official statement from the country's authorities as of Friday morning, local media, citing military analysts, speculate that the craft is likely to have been an Ukrainian Soviet-era drone.
The crash, which occurred shortly after 11 pm on Thursday evening, was accompanied by a loud noise. Police confirmed that the impact has left a 3-meter crater in a local road, and that two parachutes stuck in nearby trees have also been recovered. There were no reported injuries, although several parked cars have been damaged by the debris.
By Friday morning, the area has been cordoned off, with local authorities issuing a short press release saying that “there’s no reason to panic” and that further investigation is under way. Soon after the mysterious crash, photos and videos of the debris from the crash site began circulating on social media, finding their way to online sleuths and military analysts who identified the aircraft as a Soviet-era drone.
Aviation expert and editor-in-chief of a military technology website The War Zone, Tyler Rogoway, wrote that he “strongly believes” that the craft was a Tu-141 Strizh reconnaissance drone which the Soviet army had used in the 1970s and 1980s. Ukraine, which is currently fighting a Russian invasion, is the only known operator of the missile-like aircraft, although the Russian military also has some units in storage.
The missile-like Tu-141 can fly at transonic speeds and is designed to collect intelligence along a predetermined flight path. After finishing the flight, the drone, which weighs more than 6 tons, is designed to land with the help of two parachutes, so it can be recovered and reused. It reportedly has a range of about 1,000 kilometers, which means it might have been launched from western Ukraine of southern Belarus.
“It must have severely malfunctioned and crossed over the entirety of Hungary or parts of neighboring countries and into Croatia from Ukraine… It has been reported that Ukraine has been putting the high-speed, Soviet-era drones to work in recent days following Russia’s invasion of the country,” Rogoway wrote.
Another possible explanation suggested by Rogoway is that Russia might have used one of their own old Tu-141 pulled out of storage to use as decoys in the ongoing invasion in Ukraine.
As of Friday morning, little else is known about the crash. Local media and analysts are now raising questions about Nato capabilities as it would seem that a 14-meters-long 6-ton missile can travel hundreds of kilometers through the airspace of one or several Nato countries without being detected.
Meanwhile, users on Croatian social media began speculating jokingly that the drone’s operators might have simply mistyped the intended target, as Zagreb’s Jarun neighborhood shares the same name as Yarun, a town in Ukraine some 200 kilometers west of Kyiv.
The Anti-Russian Propaganda Campaign Kicks Into High Gear
If Vladimir Putin expected the western propaganda campaign to slacken in the wake of his speech this week announcing Russia is ready to accept four Ukrainian oblasts as new republics in Russia and ordering a partial military mobilization, he is very disappointed today. There has been a flood of reports claiming that the Russian stock market is collapsing and that Russian men of military age are fleeing the country in droves.
The reality is that reaction in Russia has been more positive than negative. Are there protests? Yes. There have been a few arrests, but the protests have not been quashed.
Western sources are circulating videos on social media of lines of cars trying to get out of Russia and lines of young men at the airports looking for a safe haven overseas. Is it true? Well, there are other videos of lines forming outside military recruitment offices in Russia.
So let us look at the economic data. Consider the claim that Russia’s economy is collapsing:
Russia’s stock market crashed on Wednesday following President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilization to support his campaign in Ukraine. . . . After resisting for months to Western sanctions, the Russian economy is now starting to show signs of a significant decline, as decreased energy exports to Europe bring consequentially lower profits.
Is that true? Not really. If we follow this logic then does the 20% decline in the U.S. stock market since November 2021 signal the end of America? Here are the facts about the Russian stock market:
The ruble-based MOEX Russia index closed 2.8% higher at 2,190 on Thursday, slightly rebounding after plunging 12.3% in the last two sessions as investors monitored corporate news amid further escalation of the war in Ukraine and fresh threats to the West. This week, President Putin ordered the country’s first military mobilization since World War II and emphasized Russia’s readiness to use its nuclear weapon arsenal after announcing plans to formally annex four Ukrainian territories through referendums set for this weekend. The annexation is seen by many as serious means of escalation, giving grounds for the Kremlin to consider Ukraine’s recent counterattack an aggression on Russian soil with Western weapons. On the corporate front, Gazprom shares surged 8% as its board announced interim dividends of RUB 51 per share for its record-setting profits in the first half of 2022. Banks also booked gains after the central bank announced it extended reserve requirement relief measures.
What about the Ruble? If there really was an exodus of Russians fleeing to western and Asian nations those people would need foreign currency. Why? Because the Russian Ruble won’t buy you a cup of coffee in Finland, Sweden or Germany. That means there should be a major increase in demand for foreign currency, which means the price of the Ruble should have plummeted. It did not.
The price of the Ruble has remained steady since the end of July. There was no precipitous drop of any kind in the Ruble today.
The Russian ruble was at 60 per USD in September, remaining well above levels prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and cementing its rebound from the record low of 150 touched in March, supported by strict capital controls and trade imbalances. Higher prices for energy and commodities since the start of the war lifted export revenues and relative ruble demand amid a collapse in importing activity due to sanctions. On top of that, monetary authorities mandated hefty fees and negative interest rates on currencies from “unfriendly” states. The disparity is reflected in the widest current account surplus on record of USD 70.1 billion in Q2 from USD 17.3 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year. Strength in the ruble withstood the CBR cutting borrowing costs to below pre-invasion levels, amid continuous weekly deflation readings and calls for ruble devaluation by policymakers in the central bank and the State Duma. .
I think Putin’s speech this week may dent his popularity, but opposition political parties are not likely to get a big boost. Putin is appealing to the Russian patriotism and that still has strong appeal in Russia. Also important to point out that the limited mobilization Putin announced only affects the men and women who serve in Russia’s reserves. He is not going to raid the universities and dragoon students into the army. The use of reserve personnel means that the training cycle for reinforcements will be accomplished before the end of the year, if not sooner.
Let me conclude by giving you some of the hysterical headlights announcing the impending doom of Putin and Russia:
Putin was so upset about these developments that he said this in his speech today marking the 1160th anniversary of Russian statehood (you read that right, more than 1000 years):
During more than a millennium, our statehood has lived through many eras, including cruel enemy invasions, disunity and the tragedies of feuds, but each of these difficult periods invariably ended with the revival of the Fatherland. The heroic generations of our people overcame difficulties and adversities, withstood the trials. They created and expanded the grandeur of our Fatherland and covered their names with glory.
We remember and cherish these truly outstanding people: Rurik and Prophetic Oleg, Princess Olga and Svyatoslav Igorevich, Prince Vladimir and Yaroslav the Wise, Vladimir Monomakh and Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy and Sergius of Radonezh, Ivan III and Ivan the Terrible, Yermak, Minin and Pozharsky, Dezhnev and Bering, Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, Lomonosov and Pushkin, Suvorov and Ushakov, Alexander II the Liberator and Alexander III the Peacemaker, Brusilov and Denikin, Zhukov and Rokossovsky, Kurchatov, Korolev and Gagarin.
These and many other of our compatriots were larger-than-life, complex and occasionally controversial historical figures. Some of them saw Russia’s future differently and were even on the opposite sides of the barricades. You know, when drafting this text, I scribbled in and crossed out names like Nicholas II, Lenin, Stalin. Apparently, not enough time has passed since then from a historical point of view for us to give comprehensive and objective assessments that are free from the pressure of ongoing political developments.
However, all of them, including statesmen, workers, warriors, pioneers, scholars, ascetics and saints and, most importantly, all our people made Russia a great global power and determined its future. . . .
Being part of a diverse Russian civilisation means happiness, but, let me repeat, it also means responsibility and duty. Our civilisation is distinct. It has its own path and there is not a bit of arrogance or a feeling of superiority in this. This civilisation of ours – this is what’s important to us.
And we will fight for our Fatherland, our homeland of which there is only one, for our independence and sovereignty, for our culture and traditions. We will uphold and defend this in the name of our ancestors and our descendants, for the sake of Russia, its great history and its great future.
The Russians have seen a few more ups and downs than most countries, except for China. But this does not sound like a frightened leader who believes his back is to the wall and Russia is facing a new defeat.
In this scene from the movie Troy, the warrior Achilles was called out of slumber to fight. He is not too happy about it. The king (Agamemnon) sarcastically said to Achilles, "perhaps we should have a war tomorrow when you are better rested."
The news reports are mixed. Am not sure all the time what is real or made-up. I understood initially from the reports that only the military reserves were being called to fight and reserves are supposed to be ready and willing to fight when called upon though exemptions apply even for them. Further reports are coming forth saying otherwise.
According to Putin and Shoigu, the mobilization will affect Russians who served in the military and are now listed as reservists as well as those who have military occupations, which could include medical workers and various technical specialists. “Only citizens who are currently in the reserve and, above all, those who served in the Armed Forces, have certain military specialties and relevant experience, will be subject to conscription for military service,” Putin said Wednesday, adding that they will receive “additional military training.”
Putin Gives Edward Snowden Russian Citizenship: State Media
Within months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, some in the US media began to question, "Where is Edward Snowden? Whistleblower Silent Since Russia Invaded Ukraine" - as one April Newsweek headline read. The Ukraine offensive had clearly put the NSA whistleblower in a deeply awkward position, and thus he went relatively silent on Twitter. The Russian government had provided him asylum since he fled there from Hong Kong in June of 2013 - as he was a "wanted" man for exposing illegal mass domestic spying by the NSA and US intelligence.
On Monday, Russian state media is out with an explosive headline and new development regarding Snowden's fate: "Putin signs decree granting Snowden Russian citizenship," according to state-run RIA Novosti. TASS too is reporting that Putin has given Edward Snowden Russian citizenship.
Per the official Russian presidential decree...
"In accordance with paragraph 'a' of Article 89 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, I decide: to accept the following persons in the citizenship of the Russian Federation: Edward Joseph Snowden, born June 21, 1983, in the United States of America."
This is an absolutely huge development and big and consequential Kremlin thumb in the eye to Washington at a moment the two sides are inching closer to direct confrontation and war in Ukraine. The decree is sure to spiral tensions further already at a moment Washington is mulling yet more expanded sanctions.
According to Russia's Sputnik, "Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also confirmed that Russian citizenship was granted to Snowden at the latter's request ."
Kremlin dismisses 'stupid' claims Russia attacked Nord Stream
The Kremlin on Wednesday said claims that Russia was somehow behind a possible attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines were stupid, adding that the United States had opposed the pipelines and its companies had made big profits supplying gas to Europe.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily conference call with reporters that the incident needed to be investigated and the timings for repair of the damaged pipelines were not clear.
Asked about claims Russia might be behind the possible attack, Peskov said: "That's quite predictable and also predictably stupid."
"This is a big problem for us because, firstly, both lines of Nord Stream 2 are filled with gas - the entire system is ready to pump gas and the gas is very expensive... Now the gas is flying off into the air."
"Are we interested in that? No, we are not, we have lost a route for gas supplies to Europe," Peskov said.
Europe has been investigating what Germany, Denmark and Sweden said were attacks which had caused major leaks into the Baltic Sea from two Russian gas pipelines at the centre of an energy standoff. read more
"We see the huge profits of the U.S. suppliers of liquefied natural gas, who increased their supplies many-fold to the European continent," Peskov said. "They are very, very interested in further receiving their super, super profits."
The United States plans to supply at least 15 billion cubic metres (bcm) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to European Union markets this year as Europe seeks to wean itself off Russian gas supplies. read more
Russia, which slashed gas deliveries to Europe after the West imposed sanctions over Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, has said sabotage was a possibility and that the leaks undermined the continent's energy security.
"Before making any claims, we should wait for investigation into these ruptures, whether there was an explosion or not," Peskov said. Information on the incident could be expected from Denmark and Sweden, he said.
Nord Stream AG, the operator of the network, said on Tuesday that three of four offshore lines of the Nord Stream gas pipeline system sustained "unprecedented" damage in one day. All Nord Stream's pipeline had not delivered gas by the time of the incident.
Nord Stream 1 has reported a significant pressure drop caused by the gas leak on both lines of the gas pipeline, while Nord Stream 2 said that a sharp pressure drop in line A was registered on Monday.
“Our residents made a historic choice and decided to become part of the multinational population of the Russian Federation, in which all people are equal before each other and before the law,” Saldo said in a statement published on social media.
Pro-Russia leaders of Ukraine’s Lugansk, Kherson ask Putin to Annex regions
The pro-Moscow leaders of Ukraine’s Lugansk and Kherson regions called on President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to formally annex the territories into Russia, claiming residents had backed the move in a referendum.
The Kremlin-backed leader of the breakaway Lugansk region, Leonid Pasechnik, made the appeal to Putin claiming residents there had been under attack for eight years by Ukraine’s army.
Moscow-backed separatists have controlled large portions of Lugansk since 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.
“Taking into account the decision of the republic’s population at the referendum, I am asking you to consider making the Luhansk People’s Republic a subject of the Russian Federation,” Pasechnik said in a statement published by rebel officials.
His announcement was quickly followed by a similar appeal from Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-installed leader of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, which was captured by
“Our residents made a historic choice and decided to become part of the multinational population of the Russian Federation, in which all people are equal before each other and before the law,” Saldo said in a statement published on social media.
Putin to Sign "treaties on the Accession of New Territories to Russia" and to ... - Latest Tweet by Disclose.tv
The latest Tweet by Disclose.tv states, 'JUST IN - Putin to sign "treaties on the accession of new territories to Russia" and to hold a "voluminous speech" tomorrow, the Kremlin says.'
State Duma deputies were invited to the Kremlin on 30 September. On this day, the next stage of the annexation of the occupied territories of Ukraine will take place.
State Duma deputies were sent invitations to the Kremlin on September 30, where at 15:00 an “event” with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin will begin. State Duma deputy from the Communist Party Denis Parfyonov wrote about this in his telegram channel.
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov clarifiedthat on September 30 at 15:00 in the Kremlin there will be a signing ceremony of agreements on “joining Russia” with the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR, as well as the occupied Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.
In addition, Putin’s “voluminous” speech is expected, Peskov added.
On September 23-27, “referendums on joining Russia” were held on the territory of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR, as well as the occupied Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. How assertedaccording to the results of processing 100% of the protocols in the Zaporozhye region, 93.11% were allegedly in favor of joining, in the Kherson region – 87.05%, in the DPR – 99.23%, in the LPR – 98.42%.
How wrote “Medusa”, according to law “On the procedure for admission to the Russian Federation”, the following procedure must now be observed. First, Russia must recognize the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions as independent states (the DPR and LPR were recognized as such before the start of the war). Then Putin will sign international treaties with the territories under his control, which must pass the examination of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and receive the approval of the parliament. After the decision on annexation, Putin must finally assure.
Last week, a TASS agency source in the State Duma said that on September 29, the lower house of parliament could pass laws on the annexation of the occupied territories, on September 30, “the procedure for the entry of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions into Russia” may take place. However, later it became known that the parliament will consider issues related to the annexation only next week: the Federation Council will meet for this The 4th of Octoberand the State Duma will hold a meeting a day earlier – October 3.
