Ukraine: Defence forces target Shahed drones fired by Russia
Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine has hit a hitch as two officers broke ranks and challenged the Kremlin’s assessment of Russia’s performance in Ukraine.
Putin’s special forces commander Apti Alaudinov this week insisted Moscow could expect “very serious results” in Ukraine by next spring.
Alaudinov also claimed Kyiv would soon be running out of resources despite the overwhelming level of support its Western allies have shown the country so far.
But officer Roman Saponkov cast doubts over his assessment, arguing that Russian soldiers are unlikely to break through Ukrainian defences in the short term.
Saponkov said: “I don’t yet see the prerequisites for any major offensive or collapse of [Ukraine’s] front.
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“They are completely holding back our offensive on Avdiivka.”
The Donetsk Oblast city has become a flashpoint in the fight between Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks as Kyiv continues to push forward with its counteroffensive in the region.
The officer also dismissed Aludinov’s suggestion that Ukrainian forces are running off of artillery supplies.
He told The Economist: “In summer, they generally had a complete unlimited supply of shells. And now, in principle, I have not heard of any shortage on any sector of the front.”
The main area of contention that has emerged among soldiers is issues within the line of command to agree on a common strategy to advance.
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Russian officer Alexey Zhivov said communication remains the main issue, with soldiers not even being told where they should be focusing their attention.
Zhivov said: “We have not even formulated any medium-term [war] goals.
“Based on the fact that we do not understand what plans our military command has, we cannot say where we will break through in the spring.”
The Russian soldier warned chances of Russian victories in the coming weeks remain bleak as troops have been unable to significantly advance since the early months of the war.
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