The Russian president cancels all year-end events in the middle of the invasion of Ukraine
“Russia is a beleaguered fortress and Putin is its commander.” That is the excuse that the Kremlin puts up to justify another strange move by Vladimir Putin. And it is that the president of Russia has decided to cancel all the public events that he had planned – and that are habitual – for the end of the year. No state of the nation address, no annual press conference, no Christmas ceremony in the Kremlin. Reversals on the battlefield have made him a messenger of bad news.
Putin, who did not suspend any of these events during the coronavirus pandemic, only presides over events where everything is controlled down to the last detail, such as a medal ceremony in the Kremlin or a session of the Council of State, a purely consultative Soviet. On the other hand, this 2022 there will be neither a hockey game in Red Square nor the usual marathon through the streets of Moscow.
Gossip suggests that Putin would not want to face questions from journalists, since foreign correspondents would allude to the complicated situation at the front and the humiliating Russian withdrawals from the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. There would also be uncomfortable questions on the menu in the local press about the unpopular mobilization, the problems with supplies and the participation of recruits in the fighting. Putin had much more to lose than to gain.
According to the Moscow Times, which cites sources in the Presidency and the Government, the fear of a Ukrainian sabotage operation similar to those perpetrated in Crimea and at airfields in Russian territory definitely tipped the balance for the cancellation of any act that could undermine popularity. of the head of state. Putin would have made the decision personally, since the security forces cannot guarantee that such a scenario will not be repeated.
Putin has focused in recent weeks on inaugurating roads, fields, icebreakers and other infrastructure. He met with the mothers of soldiers – all linked to the Kremlin party – but he is reluctant to order the end of the mobilization, even though the Ombudsman acknowledges that he receives dozens of daily complaints about it.
The press points out that Putin has the 2024 presidential elections in mind. No one doubts that he will run for reelection – the constitutional reform allows him to remain in power until 2036 – but for this they have to solve the Ukrainian problem first. A defeat would turn the elections into a referendum on his person.
Ukraine believes that Moscow is preparing a major offensive for early next year in order to turn the tide of the contest. Putin’s agenda in 2023 will depend on his success. For not having, this year there will not even be the traditional ice hockey game that is held every New Year’s Eve in Red Square with the participation of the country’s top senior officials.