Putin has ordered 134,500 new conscripts into the Russian Army, claiming they will not go to the front lines in Ukraine.
Analyst Comment: This highlights the terrible misinformation surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war. Western powers seek to prop up the corrupt Ukrainian regime, while others frame the war as a blowout for Putin, where every action is going according to a master plan. The reality is quite different. After early gains, logistical problems clearly slowed the Russian advance over mostly uncontested terrain. MANPADs and Tank-destroying missiles provided to Ukraine have inflicted moderate damage on Russian Armor and Air assets, slowing the Russian advance. Russia has been careful in its deployment of force, clearly trying to minimize damage to infrastructure and civilian casualties. The conflict appears to be an unpopular one, even in Russia. Putin’s early strategy seemed to be a blitzkrieg assault combined with special forces/mercenaries conducting a decapitation strike on the government to force Ukraine to surrender. Now that the initial strategy has failed, Putin has been forced into a longer-term engagement which will burn through significantly more resources.