ladimir Putin on Tuesday angrily gave marching orders to Russia’s security forces to redouble their efforts to root out traitors and spies working to undermine his regime.
Speaking in a 5-minute video address to mark the Day of Security Services, a stern-faced Putin told operatives they needed to significantly improve their work in one of his clearest public admissions yet that the invasion of Ukraine — now in its 10th month — is not going smoothly.
“Maximum composure, concentration of forces is now required from counterintelligence agencies, including military intelligence,” Putin said. “It is necessary to harshly crack down on the actions of foreign special services, promptly identify traitors, spies, and saboteurs.”
Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s security services to work harder to identify “traitors, spies and saboteurs.” Kremlin
Putin shakes hands with Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed head of the Kherson region of Ukraine during a state awards ceremony at the Kremlin.SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images
In an uncharacteristic break with the official line that the so-called “special military operation” is going according to plan, Putin admitted the situation was “difficult” in the four regions of Ukraine that were illegally annexed by Russia following sham referendums.
“The situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is extremely difficult,” he said.A KGB veteran, Putin offered words of praise to security operatives deployed to the annexed regions, saying that “people living there, Russian citizens, count on being protected by you.”“Your duty is to do all that is needed to ensure their safety and protection of rights and freedoms,” the Kremlin strongman added.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed Putin up by traveling to the frontline town of Bakhmut, which Russian forces have repeated tried and failed to capture. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERA woman removes broken glass inside a hospital damaged by recent shelling in Russia-controlled Donetsk. REUTERSA young boy looks out the window of an evacuation train from Kherson to Khmelnytskyi at Kherson station, on Sunday.Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Shutterstoc