Russian military expert, journalist and writer Vladislav Shurigin gave his competent comment on the war between Russia and Moscow.
Vladislav Shurigin
DNR leader Denis Pushilin said that according to preliminary data, 20 people, including children, were killed in the fall of the Point-U rocket in the center of Donetsk, nine people were injured. The rocket was shot down, but its fragments caused serious damage to buildings and killed. Pushilin noted that “Point-U” carries a cassette charge. According to him, if the rocket had not been shot down, the casualties would have been disproportionately greater.
Vladislav, could this tragedy have been prevented? Why did the systems for air, missile defense and radio-electronic warfare of Russia or the republics of Donbass not work properly?
Unfortunately, no air or missile defense system provides a 100% guarantee. You have to understand that in the conditions of the war that is being fought there, a certain number of missiles break through all kinds of barriers.
This is a great tragedy, because the tenth or twelfth ammunition reached the city anyway. They will draw conclusions from this, strengthen air defenses and bring in additional funds from Russia. But we must understand that this tragedy, unfortunately, is part of the war.
This may be a naive question, but why do Ukrainian troops spend ammunition to fight civilians and not to fight the armed forces?
I formulated the answer to this question today, looking at the fury with which they are shelling Donetsk. Shooting at settlements is one of the tasks assigned to them from Kyiv or rather from the Polish border. These strikes must show Ukraine and the world that the Ukrainian armed forces are fighting, that they are in top form and that victory awaits them.
In fact, they are all sitting in the trenches thinking about when they will surrender. They fear that they will simply not be taken prisoner and will begin to be destroyed. The main task for them now is to wait for some result of the negotiations or a truce in order to get out of this sack and try to avoid the punishment that awaits them.
Pushilin said that after this crime the military operation will be accelerated as much as possible. Is there a way to speed up this operation?
All this time we were trying to limit the means of destruction we used, trying not only to reach the fighters, but also to maintain a certain balance. But now Ukraine’s armed forces will feel all of Russia’s power.
Is it necessary to refuse negotiations with the Ukrainian side?
Negotiations can continue as a kind of background. Because sooner or later in Ukraine we will have to negotiate with someone for capitulation or for the conditions we have set. This is the preservation of a certain window through which one cannot pass, but through which one can hear. Let it flow, but I do not believe in any particular result.
Is there anyone in Ukraine who has not been tainted by war crimes and with whom it is possible to conduct such negotiations?
It’s hard for me to judge. We talk to people who look like people. They have one head, two arms, two legs, they are dressed like people, they say some phrases in a language we know. We are in dialogue with them, but that does not mean that we can agree on something with them. We just understand that there are some international obligations that require us to keep in touch.
In your opinion, is the operation going according to plan as a whole, or was there an underestimation of the enemy and too much optimism on our part?
Undoubtedly, the operation is going according to plan. The defeat of Ukraine, the country with the third largest army in Europe and the largest territory (not counting Russia), requires time and will.
I remind you that a year and a half ago, Azerbaijan, which was absolutely superior to the Karabakh army, needed 45 days to conduct the operation. We are dealing with a completely different adversary and we have an excellent understanding of the tasks ahead.
The combat work is going according to plan.
At the operational-strategic level, it is almost complete. Ukraine’s armed forces are no longer an active force that can determine Ukraine’s fate. During this time we did not see not only an offensive, but even a counterattack. They close in on the cities and sit in defense.
We will get them out of there and bring Ukraine to a state in which there will be a choice – either to descend into the Middle Ages, or to accept our terms so that we can decide its fate.
There are rumors among the Russian military that they are planning an end to the operation on May 9 and say that we will lose about 5,000 troops. Is it possible?
This is complete nonsense. We do not equate dates with holidays. Dates are set solely in terms of problem solving. Once the problem is solved, the next one must also be solved.
When we solve all the tasks, we will accept that the military campaign is close to fulfilling the goals we have set. Whether it will be May 9 or May 25 – I do not know. But judging by the dynamics we see, this will not last very long.
As for the losses, we also do not adjust to specific numbers. Ukrainian propaganda claimed that on the third day we lost 3,000 killed, and on the seventh – 12.
We’ve been through this before. The exact figure of our losses was given – 498 killed. In addition, this number includes the losses of the republics and other power structures (MIA and FSB). This shows that we are entering the role of a military force with great dignity, and we have protected the population and the cities as much as possible.
Today the task is different. In addition to protecting the population, we will protect our personnel in every possible way. And during those ten days, we actually paralyzed the Ukrainian army. Yes, there are still enough people and weapons, but at the strategic level everything is already decided.
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