Russian soldiers report heavy loss of life and a “senseless” war in Ukraine. They call their generals “mediocre”.
The information appears, inter alia, in an open letter to the governor of Primorje on the Pacific coast, reproduced on the Telegram channel «Gray area»which has ties to the private military «Wagner Group».
The man behind the ‘Wagner group’, Yevgeny Prigozhin, aka ‘Putin’s chef’, has been at the forefront of criticism of the Russian military in recent weeks.
In the letter from the brigade belonging to the Pacific Fleet, the marines write that they have lost 300 men in four days – and half of the equipment.
It is unclear how many soldiers signed the letter and what rank they hold.
The soldiers claim that the front commanders are keeping the casualty figures under wraps and continue, addressing the governor and the people of the Primorye region in Russia’s far east:
– How long will such mediocrities as Muradov and Akhmedov (military leaders of Ukraine, ed.) plan military operations and receive honors at the cost of the lives of so many people. They don’t care about anything just to show off. They call people meat.
Marines are calling for the establishment of an independent commission to investigate what happens to Russian military personnel during the war.
– Once again we were launched into an incomprehensible offensive, the soldiers write.
The letter was also published in Kremlin-controlled media. To the RIA Novosti news agency, reproduced, among others vzgljad, MoD strikes back and denies large loss of life and equipment:
– Thanks to the competent actions of the commanders, the loss of marines during this period does not exceed one percent of the combat strength.
– Seven percent were injured, many of whom have already returned to service, he says.
The governor of the area where the soldiers come from, Oleg Kozjemjako, has ordered an investigation into how many soldiers have actually lost their lives in the fighting. However, he argues that the claim of 300 soldiers killed is “greatly exaggerated”.
In the letter, several military commanders are explicitly held responsible for the Russian losses, the commander of the Eastern Military District, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, the commander of the 155th Marine Brigade, Colonel Zurab Akhmedov, and the Russian defense chief, Valeriy Gerasimov.
For The Guardian tells a mobilized soldier, Aleksey Agafonov, how the force he was part of was completely wiped out by Ukrainian forces in the Luhansk region in early November:
– I saw men hacked to pieces in front of me. Most of our unit is missing, he says according to the British newspaper.
– First, a Ukrainian drone flew over us. Then their artillery began to hammer us for hours without stopping.
It estimates that only 130 out of 570 mobilized survived the Ukrainian attack, which occurred near the town of Makiivka.
Agofonov was mobilized from the city of Voronezh as part of Putin’s plan to bring in 300,000 new soldiers for war in Ukraine. According to the president, he succeeded.
– The mention of this letter is an expression of Russian losses of life and equipment that can no longer be hidden, says Peter Viggo Jakobsen from the Department of Strategy and War Studies of the Danish Defense Academy to VG.
– At some point they have to deal with it. They can no longer pretend it’s not happening, continues the expert.
– How does this affect support for the war?
– It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the support of the majority of Russians. At the same time, there is no indication that the war will end anytime soon. Vladimir Putin wishes to keep as much of Ukraine as possible. He will cling to what he has conquered. I don’t believe in any Russian concessions anytime soon.
The British think tank Institute of War Studies assesses the situation as Jakobsen: Anger over Russian military losses is spreading from military bloggers and soldiers’ families, they write in their report on Tuesday.
