Several Russian military bloggers claim that there are internal disagreements and discontent in the Russian military leadership – particularly directed at Mikhail Teplinsky, the commander of Russia’s airborne forces.
Both Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Defense Chief Valery Gerasimov reportedly want to remove Teplinskij from his position, after he “disobeyed them repeatedly”, writes the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Lars Peder Haga, associate professor at Luftkrigsskolen (LKSK), believes that some of the dissatisfaction may be due to different leadership styles.
– Parts of the Russian military are dissatisfied with how the war started and how it has been conducted. The style that Gerasimov and Shoigu have is to gloss over the fact that they have had great losses and problems, he says to Dagbladet and adds:
– There are more people who want more transparency, and who believe that the answer is to mobilize more and take Russia over to a war economy. When you smooth over everything that goes badly, you don’t pull enough.
– INTERNAL DISAGREEMENT: Both Minister of Defense Sergej Shoigu and Chief of Defense Valeriy Gerasimov allegedly want to remove Mikhail Teplinskij from his post. Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Show more
Removed speech
In a speech on August 2 – Paratroopers’ Day in Russia – Teplinsky saluted the soldiers and revealed that a total of 8,500 of his soldiers had been injured.
The statement was described by ISW as a “rare revelation” – and the speech was soon removed from the website of the Russian Defense Ministry, apparently in an attempt to smooth over the number of casualties.
– Part of what he said was that there were many of the injured soldiers who refused to leave the front to fight on. For him it was a heroic story, but the military leadership did not want anyone to talk about the number of wounded. That style, where you combine being honest and macho, I think speaks to the other Russian “hardliners”, says Haga.
Russian Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinskiy revealed sensitive details in a televised speech. Video: Telegram, Russian Ministry of Defense, Zvezda. Reporter: Håvard TL Knutsen. view more
“Turbulent career”
Teplinskij has been involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 24 February 2023. In January 2024, he reportedly lost his job, before reappearing in the role in April.
According to British intelligence testifies to his “turbulent career of intense tension” between factions in the Russian military leadership.
– He was probably not fired, but actually a kind of promotion in recognition that the war was going to be long and that they had to build up new forces. He has said that they should restore divisions and regiments. At the same time, senior management has more control over him, says Haga.
– RIVAL: Mikhail Teplinskij could become a rival to defense chief Valerij Gerasimov, believes Lars Peder Haga, associate professor at the Norwegian Air Force School (LKSK). Photo: Defense Show more
Gerasimovs rival
The fact that he got some kind of promotion does not necessarily mean that he is well liked.
– Since he got the job, he must at least have been assumed to be effective. One of the things that can be learned from the story with Prigozhin is that you don’t need to be liked, but if you are effective, you can gain trust for a while, he says.
Haga believes Teplinskij can sail up as a rival to Gerasimov.
– He can become a rival to Gerasimov. Putin is not very interested in having independent people at the top level or the level directly below him. There he demands absolute loyalty. That was the problem with Prigozhin. They tolerated quite a bit as long as he delivered, but after he carried out the mutiny he had to be jacked down, says Haga.
2023-08-31 17:36:22
#Internal #division #Rival
