Putin on brink as Russian resident in Ukraine-controlled city gives 6-word verdict on war

Vladimir Putin is facing growing public backlash over his war in Ukraine, as the harsh realities of the conflict start to hit home.

Ukraine's army launched a daring attack into Russia's Kursk region in the first week of August.

Kyiv's forces smashed through Russian defences and quickly advanced into enemy territory.

Ukraine's military chief, General Oleksandr Syrsky, claims his troops have seized around 500 square miles of land and captured 100 settlements.

One of the first towns to fall was Sudzha, an important road and rail hub for Moscow to supply its troops throughout the area.

That includes the city of Belgorod to the south-east, which is key to Russian attempts to try to batter Kharkiv into submission.

Ukraine's lightning incursion has shocked the residents in the town, who perhaps for the first time are experiencing the full impact of this brutal war.

One local is Olga, an 80-year-old pensioner who has lived in the town for most of her life.

She told The Independent's Askold Krushelnycky that many Russians have no information about what is happening in Ukraine and are powerless to stop Putin, the Russian President.

Then she gave a damning six-word verdict, saying: "None of us wanted the war."

New surveys of public opinion appear to show that Ukraine's attack inside Russia has seriously dented public confidence in Putin and his handling of the war.

According to a survey by the Public Opinion Foundation, as of August 11, 25 percent of Russians said that the actions of the authorities caused them “indignation”.

A similar level of dissatisfaction, 26 percent, was last recorded in July 2023, when the Wagner PMC rebelled and Yevgeny Prigozhin’s troops almost reached Moscow.

Putin is also facing growing calls to resign from furious Russians, some of whom have accused the Kremlin boss of treason.

In a video published to social media, an activist from a group calling itself the "Council of Defenders" said: "Vladimir Vladimirovich, in February 2022, your controlled media said that this operation would be over in three days.

"Excuse me, but it's already going on for the third year. Why did hundreds of thousands of factories cease to exist under your rule? Isn't this a sign of state treason and sabotage?

"Why do our people live in poverty? People are dying, it has even come to this.

"These are the questions that we want to voice and get answers to them. We demand your resignation as President of Russia!"