Putin cites COVID response in push to accelerate Ukraine war efforts - The Hill

Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Tuesday addressed his caller Government Coordination Council to hasten the country’s warfare efforts successful Ukraine, alluding to the coronavirus pandemic arsenic 1 crushed to accelerate decision-making.

The Kremlin announced the council’s instauration connected Friday, saying it would amended coordination wrong Russia’s authorities arsenic the state continues to look territorial losses successful its penetration from a Ukrainian confederate offensive.

“We faced definite difficulties and the request to upgrade our work, springiness it a caller momentum and caller quality erstwhile we were responding to the coronavirus pandemic,” Putin told the group, according to remarks released by the Kremlin.

“We managed to bash overmuch past to update these regulations and get escaped of the archaic procedures that are preventing america from moving guardant astatine the gait the state needs,” helium added.

Putin said the group, which is headed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, includes lawman premier ministers, bureau heads and determination representatives.

The assemblage volition look to much efficaciously supply medicine and instrumentality to enactment Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, which Moscow dubs a “special subject operation,” though Putin did not explicate successful item however these objectives would beryllium accomplished.

“If we travel modular bureaucratic procedures and fell down formalities, we volition not execute the desired effect successful immoderate area,” helium said. “We established a mechanics similar the Coordination Council with the explicit intent of resolving each issues faster and much effectively.”

Putin initially hoped to rapidly unit Ukraine’s surrender erstwhile it invaded the state successful February, but Russian forces person seen a bid of setbacks, archetypal failing to instrumentality the superior metropolis of Kyiv and present facing losses successful territory captured successful the spring.

Various U.S. and Western officials person indicated Russia has faced a assortment of tactical and instrumentality failures during the invasion, and President Biden has said Putin “totally miscalculated.”

The efforts of Putin’s caller coordinating radical volition look to antagonistic gains made by a Ukrainian violative antecedently focused successful the country’s northeast that has present extended to the south.

As Russian forces retreat from an expanding fig of settlements and towns, Putin has escalated the struggle by calling up to 300,000 reservists, threatening the usage of atomic weapons and annexing 4 Ukrainian regions.

Last week, Putin declared martial instrumentality successful the 4 regions, which experts accidental could mean wide deportations of Ukrainians retired of the Russian-occupied territory arsenic Kyiv’s forces inch person to Kherson, the sole determination superior controlled by Moscow.

Russia has besides accused Ukraine of producing biologic weapons and readying to usage a radioactive “dirty bomb,” claims that person been condemned arsenic Russian propoganda by U.S. officials.

Ukraine has cited those claims arsenic grounds Russia itself is readying to signifier a large onslaught successful Ukraine, referencing purported grounds of planted mines astatine a large dam and Putin’s past threats of atomic warfare.