The Russian president has postponed a planned meeting with his top military and defense industry officials in Sochi, in a sign that Putin is reeling after retaking much territory the Russian armed forces seized earlier in the war, according to TASS. It is considered to be the biggest Russian defeat since the beginning of the war. “The meetings in Sochi are in demand, they will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, indicating the meeting was merely postponed, not canceled. Peskov said Putin canceled the meeting with representatives of the Russian defense leadership and defense industry, which is usually held in May, because of a “very, very busy” schedule. But he also suggested that Putin needed time to digest new developments in the war, citing casualties. “Especially since as the special military operation develops, some experience is gained that needs to be discussed,” Peksov added. This is now at least the second upheaval that the Russian defense leadership has had to endure in trying to arrange this meeting with Putin this year. At the height of the invasion this May, Peskov suggested there were no plans to hold the regular meeting. Other signs that the Ukrainian counterattack has left the Kremlin reeling have emerged in recent hours. Putin had planned to hold a series of referendums as a way to build support for the takeover of Russia. But Putin has reportedly canceled them now, according to Meduza, which cited two sources close to the Kremlin. A pro-Moscow official in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, also suggested the referendums were on “pause” due to Ukraine’s counterattack, although he tried to walk back his comments, according to France 24. The news comes days after Ukrainian forces began launching a counter-offensive into southern territory seized by Russia. Ukrainian forces also launched operations targeting the northeast of the country, for which Russian troops were likely unprepared. Russia had redeployed forces to the south to handle an expected counterattack there, according to the Institute for the Study of War. This reorganization may have been a strategic blunder. In the end, Russian forces were outnumbered eight to one in the Kharkiv region, according to Vitaly Gadchev, the top military official assigned to the region. Ukrainian forces have so far recaptured more than 3,000 square kilometers of territory since the beginning of the month, according to Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – a statistic that shows the Ukrainians have tripled their gained territory in just one some days. Ukrainians have recaptured more than 20 settlements in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, sending Russian forces into retreat. Ukrainians also captured Vysokopillia, Novovoznesenske, Bilohirka, Myroliubivka and Sukhyi Stavok, Natalia Humeniuk, head of the Unified Press Coordination Center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, said on Monday. The victories secured by the Ukrainian armed forces in recent days could jeopardize Russian narratives about the war – which in Russia remain focused on an alleged attempt to “liberate” the Donbass. According to a British intelligence assessment, the losses will likely strain Russia’s military leadership and exacerbate existing suspicions in Russia’s military ranks, which have been allayed in recent weeks. “Ukraine’s rapid successes have significant implications for Russia’s overall operational planning,” the British intelligence assessment said. “The majority of the force in Ukraine is very likely to be forced to prioritize emergency defensive actions.” “The already limited trust that deployed troops have in Russia’s senior military leadership is likely to further deteriorate,” the assessment said. Already, Russian officials are second-guessing the entire “special” military operation in Ukraine. Municipal deputies from Moscow and St. Petersburg called on Putin to resign, noting that “everything has gone wrong.” Some lawmakers accused Putin of high treason for invading Ukraine. Even Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin’s main ally in Chechnya, has begun to criticize the Russian military. “Mistakes were made,” Kadyrov said on Telegram. “And if today or tomorrow there are no changes in the strategy of the “special military operation”, I will be forced to turn to the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, the leadership of the country to explain to them the situation that is really happening on the ground.” So far, however, the Kremlin has tried to project a sense of calm about the losses in Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Ministry did not explicitly admit defeat, but rather indicated that Russia has made a decision to “regroup”. “In order to achieve the stated goals of the special military operation for the liberation of Donbas, it was decided to regroup Russian forces stationed near Balakleya and Izyum to strengthen efforts in the direction of Donetsk,” the spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense told reporters. Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov. Peskov, for his part, said that Russia will continue to work towards achieving its military goals. “The special military operation is ongoing and will continue until the goals set are achieved,” Peskov told reporters.
