"Further - universal, then - nuclear weapons." What Russian officials are talking about "partial mobilization"

What are the presidential administration and the Russian government after Putin’s “partial mobilization” announced by Putin and how do officials informally comment on the course of the war? This was told by journalist Farid Rustamova, talking with 15 civil servants, deputies, top managers of state and private companies.

• The last month all sources of Rustamova understood that the matter was to mobilize. “Putin does not know how and cannot lose, so he needs to urgently turn the situation, the source close to the Kremlin explains the decision of the president. Referendums were appointed as “punishment” to Ukrainians for successes at the front, he explains Putin’s logic. According to him, the threat of the use of nuclear weapons is a message to politicians from the West: “Ukraine has no right to win us, you only delay it with death by supplying weapons.”
• Despite the expectation of mobilization, the interlocutors of Rustamova complain about the surprise of Putin’s decisions and the reluctance to explain their plans . “Complete and mess, Putin speaks differently to everyone,” confirms the interlocutor close to the government.
• The leaders of all state bodies, as well as state and private companies in recent days, urgently resolve the issues of "BROPI" from mobilization for their employees, Rustamova notes. None of the interlocutors of the journalist expected that the “partial” mobilization would immediately become indistinguishable. However, no one believes that everything will be limited to “partial”. “Now partial, then - universal, then - tactical nuclear weapons,” the source close to the government predicts.
• Some officials make decisions what to do if the state orders to go to the front. Rustamova, citing sources, claims that many have already bought brothers, sons, nephew tickets and sent them abroad. At the same time, the interlocutor Rustamova says, not everyone decides to “excite” and take away loved ones.
• Rustamova interlocutors believe that the Kremlin is preparing for a protracted war . “Everything related to development - infrastructure, education, health - everything goes into the background,” the source in the Ministry of Finance explains. Another interlocutor, who has worked with Putin for many years, notes that the president "always chooses escalation." “And with any unpleasant forces, it will choose an escalation up to nuclear weapons.”
• Despite the understanding of the approaching disaster, no one is trying to convince Putin to stop the war among Russian elites , Rustamova writes. After the mobilization is announced, the source assures, the situation from the point of view of the prospects of expressing any discontent will become worse. The interlocutor in the leadership of one of the largest state -owned companies calls this “amazing doom”. “People are ready to slaughter children, husbands, sons. This is right evil, ”the same source notes.
• In fact, there is no sincere support for the war among the Russian establishment -its civilian unit, its civilian part, says the top manager of one of the largest private companies and the acquaintance of Mishustin confidently. On the Eastern Economic Forum, on the first day, “everyone was tough and half of the morning session was missing the speakers” - as one of the participants in the forum describes the feelings of the elite.
• Disagreements do not leave the war and do not leave, because many are holding a family, real estate, money, says a high -ranking interlocutor close to the government. Another reason is that many believe that the war will end soon: “Now everything is escalated, and this is good, since it will end faster,” says the interlocutor in one of the large private companies, who communicates with officials a lot.
• The interlocutors interviewed by Rustamova can hardly answer the question of the ultimate goal of the war and its possible outcomes . “We are already in this story, we can only go out in two ways,” says a high -ranking civil servant. When asked what will happen in case of defeat, he replies that he cannot imagine this.

Get the main news of the day - and a story giving hope 🌊

Subscribe to the evening newsletter of "Paper"