Putin worried about lack of support for his war among elites - ISW

This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

During an interview about Russians' attitudes towards the war in Ukraine, Putin said he was sure that there are people in Russia who act in their own interests. He noted that some Russian businessmen who withdraw money from Russia are a "danger" to the country. He is also convinced that 99% of Russian forces would sacrifice everything for the sake of the country. 

However, the Russian president was criticized for these words. Analysts are convinced that the immediate society members’ criticism suggests that Putin is focused on those who don’t fully support the military actions in Ukraine, and not vice versa.

ISW notes that last week's statements of Putin were consistent with the Russian State Duma's preparation. It introduced a bill on raising tax rates for citizens who left the country after the start of a so-called special military operation. Presumably, this would be a kind of punishment for evading military operations.

ISW also reports that Russia is concerned about the inability of the authorities to protect critical infrastructure in the deep rear. Thus, the explosions at the airfield in Engels on December 26 caused a wave of concern among those who support military operations in Ukraine.

Analysts inform that the society criticized the version of the Russian Ministry of Defense that their air defense system shot down a Ukrainian drone. It was approaching the Engels airfield at low altitude and killing three soldiers.

Milbloggers were outraged by the authorities' reaction. Thus, the Russian war criminal Igor Girkin questioned the protection of the rear and sarcastically ridiculed the Russian air defense’s capabilities. Other milbloggers expressed dissatisfaction with the low technical capabilities of electronic warfare systems.

• On December 26, an air raid was declared and explosions were heard near the airfield of the Russian city of Engels, Saratov region.

• On the same day it became known that Russia appointed a new commander of the Western Military District.