Russia is suffering from “factional tensions” that extend to the “top of Russia’s military hierarchy”, according to the British Ministry of Defence, as reports suggest their forces in the Luhansk region are on the cusp of suffering a major defeat.
In its daily update, the MoD reported on the scathing comments by a well-known Russian military blogger and former military intelligence officer who has just spent two months fighting with a Donetsk People’s Republic battalion on the front line.
Igor Girkin wrote on his Telegram that, based on his time on the front line, it was evident Russia was suffering from a “crisis of strategic planning” in Ukraine.
Russian officials have struggled to pacify an increasingly dissatisfied security and military community, with criticism of the way in which the “special military operation” is being carried out becoming evermore public and widespread.
Girkin highlighted as major issues the Russian military’s current emphasis upon constructing extensive, positional defensive works while questioning their effectiveness in modern warfare.
In the last two days, reports have also claimed that Russian Chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimov, a long standing military leader, has been fired.
While the reports could not be verified by the MoD, they added: “However, factional tensions likely extend to the top of Russia’s military hierarchy.”