Will Putin decide on the most dangerous bet of his life – The Telegraph

The Telegraph analyzes the Kremlin's dilemma: the Russian army is suffering colossal monthly losses (about 30,000 people according to Ukrainian data), the volunteer system from depressed regions is exhausted, and a new wave of mobilization threatens protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The publication notes that the bet on a short campaign has failed, and Putin faces the most dangerous choice of his career.

The Telegraph analyzes the dilemma facing Vladimir Putin: the Russian army is suffering colossal monthly losses at the front — according to Ukrainian data, about 30,000 people in irrecoverable and sanitary losses. The volunteer system, based on luring residents of depressed regions with high payments, has exhausted itself and no longer covers the needs of the front. The involvement of units from North Korea does not change the strategic balance. The attempt at partial mobilization in September 2022 already caused panic and a mass exodus of men abroad. Now the military leadership demands new reserves, but conscripting residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg will destroy the unspoken agreement between the authorities and the population, in which ordinary people do not interfere in politics in exchange for peace in the cities. The publication highlights the irony: Putin initially counted on a short victorious campaign, as evidenced by the parade uniforms of the occupiers found in 2022. Instead, the conflict turned into a war of attrition. Giving the order for a new mobilization is a colossal risk for the regime, and whether Putin will decide on it remains the main question.