Russian State-TV Guest Says Mobilization Shows Kremlin Fearfulness

A guest on a Russian state-run TV channel recently said that the partial mobilization of troops amid the war with Ukraine shows the Kremlin's fearfulness.

In a video posted to Twitter by Julia Davis, a columnist for the Daily Beast and creator of the Russian Media Monitor, a group of Russian pundits and journalists can be heard speaking about the partial mobilization and some reports that Russian troops have been sent into battle with limited equipment.

"As this partial mobilization has shown, the government s**t its pants," Russian journalist Vladimir Karpov can be heard saying in the video.

The remark comes shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization of troops to fight against Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive in the war. With military assistance being sent from the U.S. and other NATO nations, Ukraine has been able to fight back against Russia's offensive campaign, retaking control of some areas.

During the video clip, which was taken from Russia's HTB state-run TV channel, other guests can be heard talking about how some Russian troops were sent to combat zones lacking necessary equipment. The guests also spoke about some reported proposals to cancel upcoming New Year's celebrations to help pay for the mobilization and equipment required for troops.

"What is causing the panic? The issues we ran into, in terms of supplies, General [Viktor] Goremykin said we have enough of everything. Enough of what? Warm uniforms and boots perhaps?" Alexander Yushchenko, a member of the State Duma, said. "Today, in war conditions, in conditions of the special military operation, a lot more is necessary."

Similarly, Galina Mikhaleva, a Russian professor, said, "I don't think we should live like we're in the Middle Ages when a person is getting ready for war and had to buy his own chain armor, his own horse, his own spear and so on.

"We have an enormous military budget, and the government should be handling it," Mikhaleva added.

While speaking with Newsweek last week, Seth Jones, director of the International Security Program and the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that Russia's partial mobilization shows that troops are currently facing "significant difficulties" on the battlefield.

"The Russians have an uptick in quantity, but actually it's a decrease in quality. Increase in quantity, decrease in quality," Jones said. "We're seeing that repeatedly in tactical levels of the fight right now, which is just poorly trained, poorly equipped Russian forces, and this mobilization is not solving these problems."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.