Panic retreat at Wuhledar
Russian bloggers call for punishment of military leadership
2/11/2023 5:31 p.m
A few days ago, a Russian tank column rolled towards the small town of Wuhledar, southwest of Donetsk. When she comes under heavy fire, panic breaks out. In the eyes of Russian military bloggers, this is a debacle that must not remain without consequences.
In Russia, a failed attack near the city of Wuhledar has sparked renewed criticism of the military leadership. As the analysts of the American Institute for War Studies (ISW) report, military bloggers are publicly calling for punishment of the commanders responsible for the costly offensive.
The storming of Wuhledar is being led by the same figures who in the past “destroyed significant amounts of personnel and equipment” without being held accountable, it says, among other things Telegram. “In the worst case, they will be transferred to Syria, where they will no longer be seen. Or they will even be promoted.”
“Operation is successful”
… show the remnants of the Russian attack.
(Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Ukrainian Armed Forces/AP)
The anger was triggered by videos of a Russian tank column rolling south-west of Donetsk towards the small town with a population of just under 15,000. According to the bloggers, the column ran into a minefield near Wuhledar and came under heavy artillery fire from Ukrainian troops. As a result, the Russian units obviously panic and flee. The scene also shows a video circulating online that was published by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, among others.
In the description of the video, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense quotes Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. “Our mission in the Wuhledar region is currently running successfully,” he is said to have said. “So true,” the Department of Defense commented ironically on the statement.
“Particularly Heavy Losses”
The British Ministry of Defense had on Friday in its daily situation report reports of “particularly heavy losses” suffered by Russian troops near Wuhledar. According to this, the fleeing soldiers could also have left behind at least 30 intact armored vehicles, which are now being transferred to Ukraine’s inventory.
However, the British experts do not name incompetent commanders responsible for the failed attack. In their opinion, the column consisted mainly of inexperienced units that had only recently been mobilized. The analysts of the ISW also consider it likely that the poor training of the soldiers is more responsible for the failure than the military leadership in Moscow.
The Russian military bloggers also respond to this. “Previous losses have meant that today the army consists largely of mobilized soldiers and officers who are untrained and lack the necessary experience,” they write on Telegram. However, if no one high-ranking is punished for this type of mistake, “we are doomed to repeat these mistakes again and again”.