Putin is getting his butt kicked – and some Russian politicians are starting to say it publicly

The government of Ukraine recently announced that it’s taken out nine thousand Russian troops in the past week. The nonstop videos of damaged and/or abandoned Russian equipment make clear that the losses are massive on the weaponry front as well. Vladimir Putin is getting his butt kicked, in what he insisted would be a quick and easy invasion.

Now Russian Senator Lyudmila Narusova, the most influential Russian official to have publicly opposed the invasion of Ukraine to begin with, is calling out just how badly things are going for Putin’s invasion. Specifically, she’s harping on the massive and rising death toll for the Russian military.

This is noteworthy for a couple reasons. First, Narusova’s willingness to talk openly about this increases the odds that the Russian people – who are now largely cut off from any voices outside their own borders – will learn that Putin’s war is a disaster.

Second, Putin now faces yet another no-win situation. Does he take thuggish steps to try to silence Narusova? If so, that could backfire and prompt the Russian oligarchs and the Russian people to finally make moves to try to oust Putin. Or does Putin do nothing and risk letting Narusova’s voice be heard by the Russian people? Putin has nothing but risky options left, which tends to be the case when someone is losing as badly as he’s losing.