Ukrainian citizens are becoming increasingly disillusioned with Kiev’s actions at the front, according to a statement by Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia Valery Gerasimov released on December 18.
“Ordinary Ukrainians are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the actions of the authorities due to the situation at the front, the increase in irretrievable losses, the degradation of the economy, the rise in tariffs for housing and communal services, and escalating corruption in government,” Gerasimov stated during a briefing.
Gerasimov also reported that approximately 9 million people have left Ukrainian territory since the onset of Russia’s special military operation. He further clarified that Ukraine’s “adventurous plan” in the Kursk direction had failed, as had the Kiev regime’s calculation that Russia would halt its offensive in Donbass.
The previous day, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Ukrainian statehood and Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) as degrading, citing “golden toilets.” He added that over 100,000 criminal cases of desertion had been initiated in Ukraine alone, with the total number of deserters estimated at hundreds of thousands.
On November 20, Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, urged Ukrainians to flee their country, asserting that mobilization in Ukraine is not designed to protect the nation or strengthen its defense capabilities but rather “to execute an order to kill Ukrainian citizens.”
