Putin is reportedly installing vending machines to shore up support

Vladimir Putin is struggling to maintain loyalty among local officials and is resorting to installing vending machines to shore up support amid growing discontent over the cost of the war, military analysts have claimed. The Kremlin is said to be on the charm offensive with lower-ranked officials in a bid to boost morale as the burden of the war becomes increasingly heavier. The Russian despot's administration has demanded regional vice governors install vending machines, offer free city parking and preferential bank loans, and provide medical insurance for civil servants, according to independent Russian outlet Verstka. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11945469/Putin-struggling-maintain-loyalty-local-officials-resorting-vending-machines.html?ito=msngallery

Drastic yet desperate measures like providing vending machines 'with chocolates and chips' are likely designed to 'pay lip service to the burden placed on regional entities but are unlikely to stimulate a significant increase in support for the war at the regional and local levels,' military analysts from the Institute for the Study of War said. The U.S. think tank said: 'The Kremlin is likely increasingly struggling to maintain loyalty among lower-level regional authorities as it continues to place the onus on funding the war on Russian federal subjects.' Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11945469/Putin-struggling-maintain-loyalty-local-officials-resorting-vending-machines.html?ito=msngallery

On April 21, the program of privileges will also extend scholarships and training seminars for municipal workers to support them during a time of rising prices and other negative consequences of the war. Vice governors were said to have been instructed to organize 'initiative groups' during a meeting last week in Senezh, near Moscow, to find out the demands of local officials through questionnaires and surveys. It has previously been reported that Russia has placed the onus on Russian regional authorities to mobilise and fund the war. But as local regions continue to bear the brunt of Russia's decision making, both economically and demographically, discontent is growing. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11945469/Putin-struggling-maintain-loyalty-local-officials-resorting-vending-machines.html?ito=msngallery

It comes as military analysts warn that Putin – who was told he looked 'tired' by fellow tyrant Alexander Lukashenko – is likely laying the groundwork for a crackdown in occupied Ukrainian territory. The Russian leader has called for the 'continued economic, legal and social integration of occupied regions' which include Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia. The Institute for the Study of War said: 'Putin has notably invoked the concept of 'terrorism' and threats to Russian domestic security to justify domestic repressions and is likely setting conditions for further repressions and law enforcement crackdowns in occupied territories using similar framing.' Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11945469/Putin-struggling-maintain-loyalty-local-officials-resorting-vending-machines.html?ito=msngallery

He has accused Ukraine of threatening civilians in occupied areas and highlighted recent 'terrorist attacks' – which is no doubt in reference to the statue bombing of Putin propagandist and blogger Vladlen Tartasky. The latest discontent comes as Western officials claim that Putin has fired the Russian commander who presided over a pair of hapless attacks in eastern Ukraine that led thousands of men to slaughter. General Rustam Muradov led Russia's Eastern Group of Forces (EGF) in Ukraine for almost a year but he was dismissed after leading two disastrous assaults near Vuhledar. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut yesterday. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11945469/Putin-struggling-maintain-loyalty-local-officials-resorting-vending-machines.html?ito=msngallery

Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page here and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.