Russian President Vladimir Putin consulted with commanders on how to conduct the Ukrainian-Russian war. Figure: Kremlin website flip
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was urgent: the Russian army suffered heavy losses and there was an acute shortage of military personnel and supplies. On the 17th, the Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had visited the Russian combat command against Ukraine to consult with commanders on how to conduct the battle.
According to Reuters, the Russian military has suffered repeated setbacks in the 10-month war of aggression: first it withdrew from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and surrounding areas of Kharkiv, the second largest city, and recently from the city of Kherson.), and forced Putin to call up reservists, arousing rare public criticism from military bloggers and some allies.
In the video released by the Kremlin on the 17th, Putin sat at a round table and presided over a meeting attended by about ten people. He sits next to Russia’s defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, and chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, both lambasted by aggressive critics for their military incompetence and failures.
The video then shows Putin sitting at the chairman’s seat at a conference table at Joint Task Force headquarters, seeking advice from a row of military commanders. He said, “We will listen to the views of combat commanders in every direction. I hope you can make suggestions for our immediate and medium-term actions.” Photos posted on the Kremlin’s website show that Air Force General Sulovkin who commanded the operation against Ukraine (Sergey Surovikin was also present.
The 56-year-old Sulovkin is a Russian battlefield veteran in Chechnya and Syria, and has been honored by Putin. He argued that withdrawing troops from the Kheson area would allow Moscow to preserve its armaments and instead allow troops to be deployed on other offensive fronts. Since then, part of the retreating Russian troops have moved from the south to the east of Ukraine. However, with the onset of winter, it is not conducive to fighting, and Sulovkin is under enormous pressure.
The “military action” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “very different” from Putin’s expected blitzkrieg. The war lasted from spring to winter. The Russian military has continued to bomb eastern and southern Ukraine and has stormed Ukraine’s energy supply network. Under attack, putting Putin in disgrace by canceling the end-of-year press conference for the first time in ten years.
