The Russian army suffered a major defeat on the Siverskyj-Donets river. Now confidence in the troops is eroding. Even glorifying Russian war bloggers are no longer silent. The target of their harsh criticism: the Russian generals.
Almost 500 dead and injured. Up to 80 war vehicles destroyed. A humiliation before the world public. The Russian defeat at the Siverskyi-Donets River on May 11 has once again changed the view of the Russian army. Now the trust of those who have been cheering Putin’s troops since the beginning of the war, despite the lack of victories, is also falling: the Russian war bloggers who travel with the army in Ukraine.
In an analysis, war researchers from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) formulated their observation as follows: “The comments of these wide-ranging military bloggers further fuel doubts about the Russian army. In the progress made in this war and in the competence of the military leadership.”
For example, war blogger Yuri Podolyaka (2.1 million followers) said after the debacle on the river: “I’ve been silent for a long time. But the last spark that breaks my impatience is the events at Bilohorivka. Because of the stupidity – I mean the stupidity of the Russian commanders – one of our battalions burned there, maybe even two.”
Podolyaka narrated in a video for five minutes. The Russian army lacked unmanned drones, night vision goggles and other materiel. This situation is “catastrophic,” according to the blogger. “I understand that problems can arise in war. But if the same problems exist for three months and nothing changes, then I start to have questions for the leaders of these operations. And with me millions of Russian citizens.”
Two other bloggers are also taking a hard stance on the Russian army. Starshe Eddy writes on Telegram: “The fact that the commanders served such large parts of their soldiers on a silver platter is not idiocy, it is direct sabotage.”
And military blogger Vladlen Tatarski explained that the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine is progressing so slowly not only because of too few reconnaissance drones, but also because of “these generals” and their tactics. “We will not have military reforms until the name of the genius who sacrificed an entire battalion is exposed. This man will have to answer questions publicly.”
Western observers are also surprised at the scale of the tactical errors in the Donets River operation. As the New York Times writes, there is speculation as to whether the Russian commanders, in their desperation to finally make progress, acted rashly.
In any case, this action is a reflection of the disorder in the army. Ex-Lieutenant General Mark Hertling also takes this line. He writes on Twitter: “The generals may be blamed for the disaster. But anyone who knows anything about armies, this disaster shows the Russian troops rotting from top to bottom.”
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