“Why do you play the fool? What are you playing?

Following Russia’s setbacks in the invasion of Ukraine and the bloody battle for the Soledar region, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has lost the papers in the first meeting of his Government and has publicly scolded his Minister of Commerce and Industry in full broadcast on state television.

very agitated, Putin rebuked the deputy prime minister Denis Manturovresponsible for overseeing Russia’s defense and arms industry as well as supplying troops with equipment due to slow contracts. “Why do you play the fool? What are you playing?” warned him in public.

[Putin sitúa al halcón del Kremlin al frente de su ejército para contener el ascenso del Grupo Wagner]

The Russian president land took responsibility for bureaucratic delays when buying civilian and military aircraft for the invasion of Ukraine. “Too much time, you are taking too long. It speeds up the work,” Putin reproached him, who always measures his gestures to the last millimeter.

“Sign the contracts. You have one month”

“We have contracts, as I already reported, with the Ministry of Defense and the civil sector. Everything is ready,” Minister Manturov replied. However, for Putin this answer was not enough: “Denis, you have everything ready but not the contracts. I’m telling you. Let’s end the meeting at once.”

“I know there are no contracts, the directors of the companies have told me. Why do you play the fool? What are you playing? Tell me, When will the contracts be signed?“, he asked again.

[El temible torpedo nuclear de Putin supera con éxito su última prueba: creará tsunamis radiactivos]

“There are 700 planes, including helicopters… this must be resolved now with the Ministry of Defense so that it is clear how many will be ordered. Some companies still do not have orders, not even for 2023,” Putin scolded him.

“Everyone understands the urgency of these problems,” continues the Russian president, who warns his minister that “Everything must be done in a month.” “And no, don’t try to do your best. Do it within a month. Don’t you understand the situation we’re in? It has to be done in a month, not later,” he added.

Kremlin campaign

This televised incident is likely part of a Kremlin information campaign to raise the image of Putin as a leader involved in the war, according to a group of American experts indicated by the Institute for the Study of War, as collected The Guardian.

“It is likely that Putin looks for scapegoats for the struggle of the Russian defense industrial base to address equipment and technology shortages,” the report said.

“The Kremlin could have removed the disagreement from its official transcript but chose to publish Putin’s harsh responsepossibly to identify other officials within the Kremlin as the culprits for the challenges to the Russian defense industrial base and possibly to threaten other officials,” the experts add.

[Spider, el dispositivo secreto de Rusia que ha caído en manos del ejército ucraniano]

The same as the dismissal of Surovikin

This Putin meeting with his ministers took place on the same day that he removed Sergei Surovikin, the “butcher of Syria”, as head of his troops in Ukraine. after just three months in office, in a move with clear political dimensions.

The leadership change comes amid ongoing tensions between the top figures in charge of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Surovikin has been replaced by the current Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army, Valery Gerasimov.

Russia had risen to Surovikin to be your top commander on the battlefield in Octoberafter a series of Ukrainian counter-offensives in the north and south of the country changed the course of the conflict. However, since his appointment, the Russian Army has not achieved any significant military victories, but it has suffered numerous humiliating setbacks on the battlefield.

From now on Surovikin will act as deputy head of the joint group of troops in the conflict. Thus, he will be below Gerasimov.