Putin avoids Russia blame game -- for now -- after Ukraine attack - CNN

CNN  — 

It was New Year’s Eve, 1 of the astir cherished holidays successful Russia. The recruits successful President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine – hundreds of them mobilized conscionable months agone – were billeted successful makeshift barracks, a vocational schoolhouse successful the occupied metropolis of Makiivka, successful the Donetsk region. Next doorway was a ample ammunition depot.

The soldiers missed their wives, their families, truthful they turned connected their cellphones and called home. Suddenly, HIMARS rockets, satellite-guided precision weapons that the United States has supplied to Ukraine, deed the school, astir wholly destroying it, and igniting the cache of ammunition.

That, astatine slightest officially, is however the Russian subject is explaining the deadliest known onslaught connected Russian forces successful Ukraine since the warfare began successful February 2022. The Defense Ministry blamed the troops themselves, claiming the “main cause” of the onslaught was the usage of cellphones “contrary to the ban.” Russian troops are banned from utilizing idiosyncratic compartment phones successful the field, since their signals person been geolocated to hone successful connected and termination different Russian forces.

But that explanation, and details of the onslaught that person surfaced, person ignited an extraordinarily nationalist nationalist blasted crippled among Russians.

It started with the decease toll. The Russian Defense Ministry initially said 63 soldiers were killed, past accrued that fig to 89. Ukraine claimed it was astir 400. But adjacent Russian pro-war bloggers, an progressively influential constituent successful however Russian civilians get their accusation astir what truly is happening successful Ukraine, dismissed the authoritative count, estimating that hundreds of troops had died. The existent fig is not yet known.

One of those bloggers, Semyon Pegov, who uses the online grip “War Gonzo” and was precocious awarded a medal by Vladimir Putin, besides rejected the military’s assertion astir compartment phones, calling it a “blatant effort to smear blame.”

“Grey Zone,” different blogger, called the compartment telephone mentation a “99% lie,” an effort to evade responsibility. He said it was much apt an quality failure.

Russian lawmakers chimed in, demanding an probe into conscionable who had ordered truthful galore troops to beryllium temporarily quartered successful one, unprotected building. Sergey Mironov, a salient person and enactment leader, said determination should beryllium “personal transgression liability” for immoderate officers oregon different subject unit who made that decision. And, implying the subject had a lax attack to the war, helium warned, “It’s clip to recognize it won’t beryllium the aforesaid arsenic it utilized to be.”

“This is simply a conflict for the aboriginal of Russia,” Mironov said. “We indispensable triumph it!”

Mironov’s comments touched a nerve. Hardliners similar him deliberation Putin’s September “partial mobilization” of reservists, calling up 300,000 men, failed to spell acold enough. They privation a afloat mobilization that would enactment the full state connected a warfare footing. And they privation revenge connected Ukraine.

No 1 truthful far, nevertheless – astatine slightest publically – is blaming Vladimir Putin for the deaths. Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of state-run planetary web RT and a regular connected home Russian TV speech shows, said she hoped “the liable officials volition beryllium held accountable” and their names released. But she besides hinted the onslaught could substance nationalist discontent: “It is precocious clip to recognize that impunity does not pb to societal harmony. Impunity leads to much crimes and, arsenic a consequence, nationalist dissent.”

Many of the soldiers who perished astatine Makiivka came from Samara, a metropolis connected the Volga River successful southwestern Russia, and the families of those killed are mourning their loved ones, bringing reddish carnations to a uncommon nationalist memorial service, arsenic priests led radical successful supplication and a choir sang the liturgy for the young men who had precocious been sent to the front.

The Defence Ministry’s admittance that important fig of mobilized troops had died successful the attack, arsenic good arsenic the unfastened statement among subject bloggers, are signs the Kremlin is taking the onslaught successful Makiivka precise seriously. After all, the Putin authorities has the means to unopen down reporting connected events it does not privation the nationalist to know.

Even successful this “open” discussion, respective commentators person raised the anticipation that “informants” whitethorn person tipped disconnected the enemy, a go-to conspiracy mentation that Russia’s state-run propaganda outlets often promote. Then determination is the accustomed ailment aft astir immoderate calamity successful Russia, blaming it connected “khalatnost:” negligence.

But the digit of blame, truthful far, is pointed lone astatine subject leaders, nary higher. President Putin has made nary nationalist remark astir the Makiivka attack, a beardown denotation that helium intends to stay arsenic acold distant arsenic imaginable from an evident debacle.