The disorganization of the Russian troops, badly battered since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, could be partly explained by the state of mind of the soldiers and their lack of preparation before the invasion.
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If the Russian soldiers had been told that they would be welcomed as heroes, delivering the people from the Ukrainian “Nazis”, things on the ground were very different.
“The command and control of the Russian forces from the beginning until now has been pitiful. Obviously, there have been glaring lacks of leadership,” explained retired Major General Richard Blanchette to Mario Dumont in an interview.
“We saw very, very little fighting in urban areas, as Russian doctrine should teach. There have been no infantry moves, lots of ranged fire, artillery has done most of the macabre work so far, and missiles.”
At the start of the invasion, Russian tank columns were repeatedly destroyed in ambushes, forcing a change in tactics and redeployment.
“The Russians have decided [finalement] to concentrate their forces in the southeast. Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for the Ukrainians, the Russian forces are in very bad shape. Their morale is in the heels. Russian forces that have retreated through Belarus will have to reorganize and move. Some units, according to the reports I have read, are in such poor condition that they cannot be redeployed and will not make a major difference to the pressure that the Russians will try to put on the front in the south-east. , notes the former Major General.
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The Russian human and material losses are enormous, but the soldiers’ conviction is also chipped. Internal reports evoke the refusal to comply of some, and even suicides within troops.
At the start of invasions, there were reports that soldiers sabotaged their vehicles to avoid advancing.
Unlike the Ukrainian troops who know exactly what they are fighting for, to defend their country, their family and their nation, the Russian soldiers, for some, did not know what fight they were getting into.
“It reflects this inability of operational art, this inability to know what is happening on the ground. […] It is really an extreme brake for the commander in chief. He didn’t even know there were conscripts at the start of the war. It is obvious that Putin does not know what is happening on the ground, and he will have to remedy that. It is for this reason that we see so many generals and colonels killed in the field, because they have to go there to see why the chain of command is in such a state of crumbling, ”says Ms. Blanchette.
***Watch his full interview in the video above.***
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