Published: Less than 10 min ago
Ukraine is bombed into freezing darkness.
On Russian TV, they have an ultimatum:
– Give up – or rot in the cold.
Over the weekend, at least ten million Ukrainians were without electricity and heating after widespread power outages due to Russian rocket fire.
At the same time, the winter weather is in over the country and freezing temperatures are expected.
The Ukrainian government has already warned that it will be a difficult winter and that temperatures of 16 degrees will become the norm in the homes.
Moving people in the cold
And that is under the condition that the electricity supply works.
In recently liberated Kherson, Russian soldiers destroyed and blew up electricity and water lines before fleeing the city and retreating to other areas.
The shelling of the city has also continued.
Now Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshtyuk states that a voluntary evacuation of Kherson should be initiated to save the population from the pending ice cold.
– The state has responsibility for taking people to places where they can spend the winter, she says.
The Russian leadership has kept a low profile in its comments on the massive bombing of Ukrainian cities. Reference has been made to focusing only on strategic military targets.
On television in Russia, experts and invited guests are much more outspoken.
“Can freeze and rot”
– These revenge attacks, and they are carried out as revenge, are an expression of our hatred, our holy hatred, MP Boris Chernyshov says in a political debate program on Russian television, according to a video translated and published by journalist Julia Davis, writes Newsweek.
– They sit without gas, without lighting and without everything else. If the regime in Kyiv continues to act like war criminals, they can freeze and rot over there.
– Ordinary people must take to the streets and put an end to the Nazi regime.
However, he and the rest of the panel agree that so far there does not seem to be any Ukrainian revolt against the leadership. And they can’t understand why.
– There is no rebellion. It should be an uprising, says former Ukrainian pro-Russian politician Vladimir Oleynik in the program and calls Zelenskyj a “terrorist”.
– You remember how he has been compared to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden? His fate will be the same.
Believe in surrender
Political scientist Vladimir Sergiyenko believes that the population will turn against President Zelenskyi if they get it bad enough. That, in turn, could push forward peace negotiations on Russia’s terms.
– When the civilian population is not killed, but has an unbearable everyday life when winter comes. When ambulances don’t come. When the elderly die. And children. It could become an argument for Zelenskyj, he says on Russian television.
According to Sergiyenko, Zelenskyj will eventually be forced to call German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and beg for help.
– “My population is fleeing. We can’t handle winter. Let’s discuss the conditions under which we can sign a capitulation,” the political scientist predicts that Zelenskyi will say.
The massive Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities, which among other things has led to the recurring power cuts, has made President Zelenskyy appeal again for more help from Western countries.
– Again and again we have told our allies that only full protection of Ukrainian airspace will save Europe and Ukraine from escalation of Russian attacks and will definitely convince Russia to end the war, he says in a nightly speech.