An experienced Russian lieutenant general is said to have been killed in a Ukrainian missile attack in the occupied city of Berdjansk.
It is reported by both Ukrainian Kyiv Post and Russian Moscow Times. The attack was also confirmed by Mariupol’s mayor Peter Andryushchenko on Twitter.
Oleg Tsokov was deputy commander of the southern military district and had extensive experience from the Russian wars in Chechnya and Syria, as well as the invasion of the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
He is said to have been killed after a Western-made “Storm Shadow” missile hit a hotel used as a Russian command post.
– These are dirty weapons
– Shortage in Russia
It is difficult to say what effect the loss of Tsokov will have on the war, as it is uncertain how big a role he has had in the actual warfare, according to retired lieutenant general Arne Bård Dalhaug
But there is little doubt that there are not many experienced Russian military leaders left, he tells Dagbladet.
– Competent military leaders are in short supply in Russia, and this has been a problem since the start of the war. They have also had a great loss of officers since then and are now running out of competent and experienced officers.
Lieutenant General Tsokov is far from the first high-ranking Russian officer to have had to pay with his life since the start of the invasion.
On 12 June at the latest, Major General Sergei Goryachev was killed in a similar missile attack, according to the report Buisiness Insider. The newspaper claims that as many as 29 Russian generals and commanders was killed during last year.
LIEUTENANT GENERAL: Arne Bård Dalhaug is a retired lieutenant general and has extensive experience from the armed forces. Photo: Lars Eivind Bones / Dagbladet Show more
Dalhaug believes that the officer shortage has major knock-on effects for Russian warfare.
– Many of the problems we see among the Russian forces are due to poor leadership from incompetent, stiff-legged officers who have not been able to adapt to the situation they are facing.
It will also have a major effect on the troops on the ground if a senior officer is killed.
– It will probably have a major effect on morale among the troops and a reducing effect on Russian leadership and planning, says Dalhaug.
– Need for leadership at the front
Intelligence expert Tom Røseth agrees with Dalhaug that the loss of an experienced general will be a significant loss for the Russians.
– If this is true, it is very significant. He is an important leader with long war experience, he tells Dagbladet.
INTELLIGENCE EXPERT: Associate professor and main teacher in intelligence at the National Defense College, Tom Røseth. Photo: Defense Show more
The Russian military strategy depends on having experienced military leaders close to the front, he says.
– The Russians need advanced leadership to manage and motivate their forces. It has been something Russia has done several times in this war, and then they have adapted this strategy to the growing threat of new Ukrainian weapons.
Røseth says that the Russians pulled the military leadership further away from the front line when the Ukrainian forces began to use Western-made HIMARS missile systems.
Britain donated several “Storm Shadow” missiles to Ukraine in May, and just days after the weapons delivery was confirmed by British authorities, a target in Luhansk was reportedly hit by one of the missiles.
The enormous range of the new “Storm Shadow” missiles, which is around 250 kilometres, makes it very difficult for the Russians to shield command posts from Ukrainian attacks, according to Røseth.
– It will be difficult for the Russians to pull their leaders so far away that they are out of reach of these missiles, while at the same time they must be able to lead their forces in an efficient manner.
STORM SHADOW: It was allegedly a Storm Shadow missile that killed the Russian general. The missiles have a range of around 250 kilometers. Photo: Gary Dawson / REX / NTB Show more
– Conscious strategy
Arne Bård Dalhaug believes that the Ukrainians deliberately carry out targeted attacks against Russian officers.
– I would like to believe that taking out Russian generals is a deliberate strategy on the part of Ukraine. During all wars, it has always been a goal to take out military leaders, as this has a great effect on the forces.
The retired lieutenant general believes that the Ukrainian forces are probably getting help from Western intelligence in locating the Russian officers.
– The Ukrainians, probably with the help of NATO’s intelligence systems, have probably mapped quite carefully which Russian officers are located where, and determine when they can be within range of various weapon systems.
Tom Røseth explains that there are several ways Ukrainian intelligence could have confirmed where Tsokov was before they carried out the missile attack.
– The Ukrainians have different types of intelligence they use. It can be anything from our own people on the ground in the area who give them information, to technical sensors. An officer creates a lot of digital “noise”, so there may be several ways to detect them.
He says there are ways for the Russian officers to protect themselves from such attacks, but that there will always be a risk of being hit, as long as they are so close to the front line.
– If you are then within range, you should protect yourself with, for example, anti-aircraft defenses, or by not staying too long in one place, so that you do not become a victim of such an attack. But it can be difficult.
2023-07-13 05:12:04
#Running #competent #officers
