updated20. September 2022, 22:57
Ukraine warPutin postpones speech – but martial law threatens in some areas of Russia
Russian state media had announced a speech by Putin in the evening. However, even following hours, the Russian President did not appear on the screens. Nevertheless, it became known that martial law might be imposed in individual regions.
Because Defense Minister Shoigu was also supposed to take part, rumors of a general mobilization were initially heard.
REUTERS
According to the head of the Russian House of Commons, no general mobilization is planned – although martial law may be declared in certain areas.
REUTERS
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Vladimir Putin actually wanted to make an appeal to the Russian people on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. Swiss time. The speech was postponed to Wednesday.
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A general mobilization in Russia had been expected.
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This should not come now, but martial law might be declared in individual regions.
According to several Russian media, Vladimir Putin actually wanted to appeal to the Russian people on Tuesday evening. Defense Minister Shoigu was also supposed to take part, prompting speculation regarding a general mobilization. But the head of the Kremlin did not show up – instead, several Russian television stations showed older speeches by the president. According to the Dutch news agency BNO, the speech has now been postponed until tomorrow, according to several sources close to the Kremlin.
The Russian State News Agency «Interfax» writes meanwhile that the chairman of the Russian lower house has announced that there will be no general mobilization – in some areas, however, the introduction of martial law is possible.
Swan Lake and Nuclear Strike Theories
The hour-long delay, combined with other factors, had previously caused ridicule and wild speculation on Twitter. Some users expected that soon only the Tchaikovsky opera “Swan Lake” would be shown on a continuous loop on Russian state television. Because when tanks and troops marched into Moscow on August 19, 1991, the state-controlled broadcasters showed this opera. The Russians quickly realized that something was wrong – following Brezhnev’s death, the opera ran for hours on state TV while a successor to the Soviet leader was being sought.
Others imagined even darker scenarios. Because a Russian plane was circling northeast of Moscow for hours, users speculated that this might be a “doomsday plan” and that Putin’s announced speech was just a diversionary maneuver to distract from a nuclear first strike. The term comes from English and describes an aircraft that serves as a mobile command center for the national leadership of a nuclear power.
