Poor leadership in Kremlin army
London: “Offensive tactically surprised Russians”
09/03/2022 12:27 p.m
According to British intelligence services, the Ukrainians are having initial success with their attempts to push the Russian army back behind the Dnipro River. However, they also benefit from logistical flaws and weak leadership within the Russian military.
According to British secret services, Ukraine is currently forcing a broad advance on three axes west of the Dnipro River in its counter-offensive in the Cherson region in the south of the country. According to a short report by the Ministry of Defense in London, this offensive only had limited immediate targets, but presumably surprised the Russians tactically. This would expose logistical shortcomings and weaknesses in the leadership of the Russian offensive.
Russian commanders would now have to decide which region to focus on in terms of supplies and reserve forces. The two sides have given very different accounts of the success of the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south. While Ukraine reported several front breakthroughs, the offensive has largely failed from the point of view of Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“The Ukrainian armed forces continue to attempt attacks in the area between Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Rih and in other directions, the enemy is suffering heavy casualties,” Shoigu said at a briefing broadcast on the ministry’s Telegram channel on Friday. Kiev’s only goal is “to create the illusion among Western curators that the Ukrainian army is capable of attack.”
Schoigu reported alleged successes
The aim of the Ukrainian attacks is to drive the Russian troops stationed west of the Dnipro back behind the river in the Cherson region. In contrast, Shoigu declared that Russian troops had advanced to the territorial border with the neighboring Mykolayiv region. There are also further successes in the East – such as the taking of the town of Pisky. The information cannot be independently verified.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February, the British government has regularly published intelligence information about its progress. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.