“TEverything is going according to plan. This is what Vladimir Putin has been hammering since his armed forces entered Ukraine and started bombing the east of the country. But on the ground, the plan does not seem so mastered as that and, above all, generates misunderstandings and tensions among the soldiers. According to The New York Times, which gained access to unencrypted communications between several Russian armored vehicles, Russian ground troops are encountering logistical and military problems. And it is not uncommon for the tone to rise, hierarchical superiority or not.
Absence of air support on certain fronts, lack of fuel for the assault tanks, unexpected movements of the Ukrainian forces, breakdown of certain communication channels… The Russian tanks encountered serious difficulties, particularly during the attack on Makariv on the 27th last February. It is on this precise day that The New York Times gathered the most information.
“You forgot the fucking air support! »
One exchange in particular illustrates the communication problems and the distress of the Russian military. On a recording, a member of the Yug-95 armored personnel carrier can be heard yelling: “Ask Lampas for air support! “And his interlocutor to answer:” I understand but I cannot contact him. Then: “Carry on then, guys are suffering here. » And thirty minutes later, this individual explodes with rage: « You forgot the fucking air support! »
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In the field, these communications collected by Ukrainian radio receivers, then authenticated by The New York Times through television images or testimonies from residents, betray the unpreparedness of the Russian army – which lacks fuel, water and food in certain sectors. An unpreparedness that plagues the troops and generates fear. “It’s tense for me, tanks are approaching!” can we hear on a recording. Then: “There is a drone above me, it shoots everywhere here. Or again: “We retreated, retreated from Motyzhyn, we were pushed back. »
The Ukrainian army seems to be resisting and repelling the Russian attacker in more cities than the Kremlin is willing to let on. On Friday March 25, Moscow also announced that it would now concentrate its efforts on eastern Ukraine. A sign that the balance of power is shifting? Nothing is less sure. And around kyiv, the fighting is still raging.