As the West prepared to cut off Russia financially, Vladimir Putin faced strange opposition inside the Kremlin as opposition voice was heard on the sidelines of the war declared on Ukraine.
To counter such unexpected opposition, Putin had to summon his oligarchs immediately to demand their loyalty over his attack on Ukraine. It also has some fears of a rebellion from within after prominent Russian TV figures and celebrities spoke out to oppose the conflict, Daily Mail reported.
Coinciding with the opposition within Kremlin, more than 2,000 people staged protests in Moscow and other cities opposing Putin's move on Ukraine. Police had to detain more than 700 people at anti-war protests across dozens of cities, an independent monitor said Thursday.
Protests started when 2,000 people gathered near Pushkin Square in central Moscow, while up to 1,000 people gathered in the former imperial capital Saint Petersburg, reports AFP. Many of these protesters in Moscow were seen chanting "No to war!" as some Russian activists even called on social media for people to take to the streets after Putin launched Ukraine war.
Putin defends
Speaking in the Kremlin, Putin defended that Russia had been 'forced' to take action over Ukraine and had 'no other choice' but to attack, saying the country remains 'part of the global economy' and that he 'will not hurt the system we belong to'. "I want you to show solidarity with the government," he told them, the report said.
It came after Vladimir Putin personally gave the order to attack around 5 a.m. on Thursday, unleashing a salvo of rocket fire that American intelligence said involved more than 100 short and medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles, and 75 bombers that targeted military sites including barracks, warehouses and airfields in order to knock out the country's military command structure.
Russia said the strikes destroyed 74 Ukrainian military ground facilities, 11 airfields, three command posts and 18 radar stations controlling Kyiv's anti-aircraft batteries, the report said.
American officials said this was merely an 'initial phase' of the attack, and that the majority of Russia's 1,90,000 troops at the front remain in reserve. The goal of the attack is to 'take key population centres' and 'decapitate the Ukrainian government', the officials added, Daily Mail reported.
In a statement, NATO said it would focus on its members nations, thus hinting out helplessness to rescue Kyiv militarily at the moment.
"Russia's actions pose a serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security, and they will have geostrategic consequences. NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the security and defence of all Allies. We are deploying additional defensive land and air forces to the eastern part of the Alliance, as well as additional maritime assets," said NATO in a statement.
(With inputs from IANS)
