Russia’s Vladimir Putin praised his “courageous” and “effective” troops in Ukraine on Tuesday, even as social media posts emerged showing the Russian army suffered yet another setback. after more than 40 days of war.
In televised comments, the Russian leader vowed that his “noble” war against Ukraine would be successful and defiantly said his country could not be isolated from the rest of the world.
“It is certain that the objectives and tasks of the operation in Ukraine will be accomplished,” he said, adding that “confrontation with the growing anti-Russian forces in Ukraine is inevitable” and It’s just the matter of time”.
“The Russian Armed Forces acted courageously, efficiently and effectively during the special military operation in Ukraine, using the most modern weapons,” he said.
His bright assessment comes amid reports that another senior military official has been killed in Ukraine.
Lieutenant Colonel Dibir Dibirovich Magomedovich, a native of Dagestan, was killed on April 9, according to a now-deleted post on the VK page of a Russian military academy.
Screenshot of post since deleted shared by Ukrainian media shows that people have been invited to donate to the Magomedovich family.
Magomedovich is believed to be based in Chechnya with the 291st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division. No details have been given as to where he was killed and where he was killed. under any circumstances.
His death adds to the long list of high-ranking service members killed in Ukraine, as Russia is going all out to support the war at home, with giant “Z” symbols appearing on national television. Theaters and museums around the country and students were instructed to write letters in support of Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, evidence of possible Russian war crimes in the country continues to grow, as Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman says. New York Times and the BBC that the Russian military detained more than two dozen women in a basement in Bucha while they occupied the ravaged town.
According to the female inspector, Lyudmila Denisova, nine of the women in that group – including girls as young as 14 – are currently pregnant.
“The Russian soldiers told them that they would rape them to the point where they didn’t want to have sex with any men, to prevent them from having Ukrainian children,” Denisova told. BBC.
In one of the most heinous accusations against the Russian military to date, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday confirmed reports that a Russian soldier had sent video footage of him sexually assaulting a baby. .
“It is a ‘child defender’ of the Russian military,” Zelensky said in a speech to the Lithuanian Parliament, quipping that Russian propagandists would likely claim that the accused’s abuse required to “protect Russian speakers”.
According to the Russian press, the soldier in question, Aleksei Bychkov, was captured on Russian territory, where he served in Pskov. It is not clear where the attack on the child is believed to have taken place.
