Putin says Ukraine fight is taking longer than expected - NBC News

Putin rejected Western disapproval that his erstwhile atomic weapons comments amounted to saber-rattling, claiming they were “not a origin provoking an escalation of conflicts, but a origin of deterrence.”

“We haven’t gone mad. We are afloat alert of what atomic weapons are,” Putin said. He added, without elaborating: “We person them, and they are much precocious and state-of-the-art than what immoderate different atomic powerfulness has.”

In his televised remarks, the Russian person didn’t code Russia’s battlefield setbacks oregon its attempts to cement power implicit the seized regions but acknowledged problems with supplies, attraction of wounded soldiers and constricted desertions.

Russian troops person withdrawn not lone from the Kyiv country and astir the country’s largest city, Kharkiv, but from a ample portion of the Kherson region. Another occupation for Putin are attacks this week against aerial unit bases heavy wrong Russia. He enactment overmuch of the country, particularly borderline areas, connected information alert recently, and caller signs emerged Wednesday that Russian officials are strengthening borderline antiaircraft positions.

In the Kursk portion bordering Ukraine, the politician posted photos of caller factual anti-tank barriers — known arsenic “dragon’s teeth” — successful unfastened fields. On Tuesday, the politician had said a occurrence broke retired astatine an airdrome successful the portion aft a drone strike. In neighboring Belgorod, workers were expanding anti-tank barriers and officials were organizing “self-defense units.” Belgorod has seen galore fires and explosions, seemingly from cross-border attacks, and its politician reported Wednesday that Russia’s aerial defenses person changeable down incoming rockets.

In brazen drone attacks, 2 strategical Russian aerial bases much than 300 miles from the Ukraine borderline were struck Monday. Moscow blamed Ukraine, which didn’t assertion responsibility.

Moscow responded with strikes by artillery, aggregate rocket launchers, missiles, tanks and mortars astatine residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, worsening harm to the powerfulness grid. Private Ukrainian powerfulness inferior Ukrenergo said temperatures successful eastbound areas wherever it was making repairs had dropped to arsenic debased arsenic minus 17 degrees Celsius (near zero Fahrenheit).

At his meeting, Putin discussed the mobilization of 300,000 reservists that helium ordered successful September to bolster forces successful Ukraine. He said lone astir 150,000 person been deployed truthful acold to combat zones and the remainder are inactive undergoing training. Addressing speculation that the Kremlin could beryllium preparing different mobilization, Putin said: “There is nary request for the Defense Ministry and the state to bash that.”