North Russian governor assures warriors they will come home "safe and healthy"
Leader of Arkhangelsk Oblast Aleksandr Tsybulsky argues that social media give an unjust, negative picture of the situation on the front.
The north Russian regional leader this weekend paid a visit to the training facility outside St. Petersburg where his local countrymen are undergoing preparations for battle in Ukraine.
In several posts on Telegram, the governor is seen speaking with soldiers and officers, and visiting the army cantina, barracks and training grounds.
The soldiers depicted look happy and content, and the facilities clean and tidy.
According to Tsybulsky, the mobilised men from his region will be get plenty of necessary equipment for their war activities. And if more is needed, the regional administration is ready to provide it, he underlined in a meeting with soldiers.
The cold season is approaching, and Tsybulsky underlined that his regional administration has ordered plenty of warm socks, gloves, boots, blankets and sleeping bags.
“I will give you the phone number to the person in my administration that deals with these issues,” he told the soldiers. “Don’t be shy to tell him what you need.”
According to Tsybulsky, reports on social media are often too negative about the situation. “Very many people are now worried,” he explained.
“And on social media there are now very many rumours, like reports about soldiers sleeping half-naked in the field,” he added.
During his visit to the training facility, Governor Tsybulsky also met with O. V. Prokopov, the commander of the forces from Arkhangelsk.
In a video comment posted on the Telegram channel of the governor and addressed to the people of Arkhangelsk, Prokopov underlined that the mobilised men from the region will return safely.
“Don’t worry, everyone will come home safe and healthy,” the military leader underlines. “I can assure you that the guys from our region are very motivated and ready to execute any task given by our Supreme Leader of the Armed Forces.”
The assurances come amid massive evidence about grave losses among Russian soldiers. The Ukrainian Armed Forces now estimate that more than 55,000 Russian men have died in the war. Only during the last week of fighting in and around Lyman more than 1,000 Russian troops are reported to have been killed.
Many of them are from northern Russia. Several powerful units from the Northern Fleet are believed to have been completely eradicated.
It is not clear how many men that are to be mobilised from Arkhangelsk Oblast, but the region is reported to have fulfilled the first objectives set by the Ministry of Defense.
In a meeting with Northern Fleet Commander Aleksandr Moiseev last week, Governor Aleksandr Tsybulsky confirmed that his region has managed to draft the number of men requested for a first dispatch to the front.
But more is needed, the Northern Fleet commander made clear.
“You can always count on Arkhangelsk Oblast,” Governor Tsybulsky underlined to the admiral. “Like always, when the times are hard and dangerous, Arkhangelsk will stand up for the protection of the country,” he said.
