Russia Tomorrow

The head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov, was detained - TASS citing law enforcement agencies

Putin removes Shoigu from the post of Defense Minister. He proposed appointing First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov to the post of Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation The 809th day of the war between Russia and Ukraine is ending (the Great Patriotic War lasted 1,418 days), when the Russian President suddenly decided to replace the Minister of Defense. Sergei Shoigu, who under Boris Yeltsin built a large “Potemkin village” in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and in the last Putin years did the same with the Ministry of Defense, is resigning. “Kyiv in three days”, “the second army of the world”, “tank biathlon”, the main temple of the armed forces with Hitler’s cap, “Patriot” park and “Youth Army” - Sergei Shoigu leaves for the post of Secretary of the Security Council, leaving behind a lot of expensive PR -projects that had nothing to do directly with the army. The arrest of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov also becomes clear. During the turbulent period of personnel changes, he was obviously “taken” with an eye to the removal of Sergei Shoigu. When the country's economy is being transferred to a military footing, when the defense industry becomes the main factor that prevents the economy from collapsing under international sanctions, the choice of Andrei Belousov as the new Minister of Defense may be a logical move. Which tells us that the war will last for a long time, the economy will be on a war footing too, and the Russian leader does not plan any peaceful future for himself. In 2012–2013, Belousov headed the Ministry of Economic Development, and from 2013 to 2020 he was assistant to the president on economic issues. Like Shoigu, Belousov did not serve in the army. At the same time, it is important to understand that the Minister of Defense is an administrative position, but the further course of hostilities will depend on who the new minister puts in charge of the General Staff. While the Kremlin is saying that Valery Gerasimov remains in his post, the question remains open of how Belousov, known for his conflict, will work with the current military vertical.

Putin took the oath on the rewritten Constitution of the Russian Federation and took office as "president". The Patriarch wished Putin to rule forever - “so that the end of the century will mean the end of your stay in power.”

Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine Vadim Skibitsky: Ukraine will not be able to win the war only on the battlefield The situation at the front is the most difficult for Ukraine since the beginning of the war - and it could get worse, Deputy Head of Military Intelligence of Ukraine Vadim Skibitsky said in an interview with the Economist. According to him, the Russian military was ordered to “take something” for the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9 or (failing that) for Vladimir Putin’s visit to China a week later. “Our problem is very simple: we have no weapons. They always knew that April and May would be a difficult time for us,” Skibitsky emphasized. The Economist notes that American arms supplies are unlikely to match Russian stockpiles or provide effective protection against low-tech but destructive Russian air bombs. 🔻 Negotiations Vadim Skibitsky told the magazine that he does not see a way for Ukraine to win the war only on the battlefield. According to him, even if Ukraine could push Russian troops back to the 1991 borders, this would not end the war. According to Skibitsky, such wars can only end in negotiations, and now both sides are trying to take the most advantageous position before potential negotiations. Meaningful negotiations can begin no earlier than the second half of 2025, he believes. 🔻 Three-level destabilization plan According to Skibitsky, Russia plans to apply a “three-level” plan to destabilize the situation in Ukraine in May. The main factor will be the military factor, since it will still be weeks before Ukraine receives the US military aid recently approved by Congress. The second factor is a disinformation campaign in Ukraine aimed at undermining the mobilization and political legitimacy of Vladimir Zelensky, whose presidential term theoretically expires on May 20. Although the country's constitution clearly states that in wartime the powers of the head of state are extended for an indefinite period. The third part of the plan, according to Skibitsky, is Russia’s campaign to isolate Ukraine internationally. 🔻 Chasov Yar The city of Chasov Yar is of particular concern to Ukraine now, since its capture will open the way for the Russians to the last unoccupied cities of the Donetsk region. According to Skibitsky, it is likely only a matter of time before Chasov Yar is occupied and the city falls in the same way as Avdeevka, which Russian troops completely bombed in February. “Not today and not tomorrow, of course, but everything depends on our reserves and supplies,” the general said. He admitted that Ukraine is far from stabilizing the situation, and Russia is using everything it can to achieve its goals. The Russian army is no longer the same as it was in 2022, and now operates as “a single organism, with a clear plan and under a single command,” Skibitsky noted. 🔻 Kharkov and Sumy Skibitsky also suggests that Russia is preparing for an offensive in the Kharkov and Sumy regions. The main blow, he predicts, will begin “in late May or early June.” According to the Main Intelligence Directorate, Russia has a total of 514 thousand ground troops involved in the Ukrainian operation. At the same time, the northern group of the Russian Armed Forces, based across the border from Kharkov, numbers 35 thousand people, but they plan to expand it to 50-70 thousand military personnel. Russia is also “creating a division of reserves” (from 15 to 20 thousand), which can be added to the main forces. Skibitsky notes that this is "not enough" to capture a large city (an opinion also shared by Western military officials), but may be enough for a smaller task. “Fast operation for entry and exit is possible. But the operation to capture Kharkov or Sumy is a different order. The Russians know this. And we know this,” added the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was detained The Investigative Committee reported this. Ivanov is suspected of taking a bribe. He faces up to 15 years in prison. Ivanov is known as one of the richest and most influential security officials in Russia. For many years, he has been in charge of all military construction projects at sites subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. Ivanov began his career in the military department with the leadership of Oboronstroy, where he was responsible, in particular, for the construction of the Patriot park. In 2016, he received the post of Deputy Minister of Defense and began managing all military construction projects. The post of deputy minister went to Ivanov after the departure of Alexei Dyumin, the former adjutant of the president, who became the governor of the Tula region. In 2019, Project discovered Ivanov’s estate worth 600 million rubles in the Uspenskoye village on Rublyovka, as well as an apartment with an area of 300 square meters. meters on Ostozhenka. In 2022, FBK also discovered that Ivanov owns the Volkonskaya-von Mecca city estate with an area of 1,000 square meters and a huge estate in the Tver region with a house with an area of 2,900 square meters.

Fed here! Sorry for disappearing for a month without a single word. I am alive and well, full-time working and studying. My free time has shortened quite a bit, but I could've posted at least some news. The problem is - I lost the former motivation to do it. Ever since the channel was started - on 16th of October 2022 amidst mobilization, there was always some tension, anticipation of the coming change in the air. Now, however, news turned into "Im Westen nichts Neues". People are still dying out there, maybe even in bigger numbers than a year ago, but the balance of power stays the same - both on the battlefield and internally. There are no more sanctions to be pressed, no weapons, that could change the situation. There is always some circle going on inside Russia, but you get used to it too. One day everything may change and I will be glad to share these news with you, but until then, the channel will stay frozen, though you can still share the news in the comments and I may comment on them too. Stay safe, everyone!