A group of Russian protesters marched through the streets of Moscow to demand Vladimir Putin launch a missile strike on the United States and other Western capitals for aiding Kyiv. Chanting to the tune of Queen’s We Will Rock You, the activists called for Putin and his army to target “the decision-making centres” in retaliation for the support shown to Ukraine. Footage from the Russian capital showed the group walking down the street chanting and waving banners supporting Russian troops involved in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
A man leading the protest said: “Strike the decision-making centres. On Washington. Strike the decision-making centres. On Washington.
“A flight task for Sarmat missiles. Sarmat, strike the enemy’s cities. On Washington. The USA is the enemy.
“We will go to heaven as martyrs. They will simply croak. Take your aim, Ivan! Launch the Akhmat.”
Support for Vladimir Putin has remained strong despite pockets of protests emerging since he announced the conscription of 300,000 men in September.
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Footage of conscripts has been circulating online showing troops threatening to mutiny after receiving no payment, no training and no equipment to fight against the Ukrainians.
And earlier this week Moscow announced soldiers would be withdrawn from Kherson as Ukraine’s defence force continues to advance eastwards.
Ukraine is yet to claim the city is back in Ukrainian hands, but the country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said “life is returning”.
Russian forces still control about 70 percent of the wider Kherson region in the wake of the withdrawal.
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In an intelligence update posted on social media, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Moscow’s troops had “highly likely” destroyed road and rail bridges over the Dnipro River as part of their retreat.
The exit was formally announced on November 9, but the defence experts said it is likely it started as early as October 22.
Moscow said: “There is a realistic possibility that Russian military equipment and forces in civilian attire had been evacuating in conjunction with the 80,000 stated evacuated civilians in recent weeks.”
The Kremlin confirmed troops had crossed onto the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, with satellite imagery showing trenches being built.
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Reviewing the imagery, OSINT analyst Benjamin Pittet wrote on Twitter: “Russia is preparing to lose the city of Kherson and the whole left bank of the Dnieper. They are currently getting ready to defend the right bank of the river.
“The Russians are currently building three lines of trenches and bunkers on the right side of the Dnieper.
“These defensive positions use natural and artificial barriers such as the Dnieper River and the numerous canals in the Kherson region.”
He added: “These defensive lines consist of trenches supported by buried positions for armored fighting vehicles. This image is of the town of Hola Prystan’.
“Similar defenses can be found on all three lines and along most of the length of the right bank of the Dnieper.”