Kadyrov calls military's response to shelling on Russian territory 'weak' and says 'special military operation' has become 'war'
In a Telegram audio message Tuesday, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov expressed frustration at Russia’s “weak response” to the shelling of Russian territory:
We used to say that we were conducting a special military operation on Ukrainian territory, but war is now happening on our territory. And my opinion, if you’re curious, is that I’m very unhappy about this.
In Kadyrov’s view, Russia ought to “wipe” Ukrainian cities “from the face of the earth.”
We’ve already declared martial law. [...] But they [the Ukrainians] aren’t shy — they’re firing. [...] In my opinion, our response has been weak. If a shell his our side, our region, we need to wipe their cities from the face of the earth. To the point that you can see the distant horizon. So that they understand that they can’t even think about firing in our direction.
Kadyrov added that Moscow shouldn't worry about how the West would react. “Everything that could happen has already happened. There won’t be anything bigger or worse,” he assured his listeners.
Ramzan Kadyrov is widely considered to be a member of the Russian leadership’s pro-war camp. Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, Kadyrov has repeatedly called for escalation, including by using nuclear weapons.
On October 10, when Russia started carrying out new missile attacks on Kyiv and other cities throughout Ukraine in response to the explosion on the Crimean Bridge, Kadyrov said he was now “100 percent satisfied” with the course of the “special military operation.”
Happy birthday, Mr. President
The day before the Crimean Bridge explosion was Vladimir Putin's 70th birthday; Ukrainian officials have hinted that the blast was a "birthday present" for the Russian president. Meanwhile, Meduza marked the occasion by speaking to sources close to the Russian government about how things are going for the president. Their accounts painted a picture of a Kremlin in serious crisis.
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