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An insider claims Putin ordered his defense minister to stop Ukraine's counteroffensive within a month ‐ and it may explain why Russia is making costly attacks, war analysts say
[Business Insider on Yahoo] Russian President Vladimir Putin may have given his defense minister until early next month to stop Ukraine's counteroffensive, according to the Institute for the Study of War.Citing an "insider" Telegram channel called Kremlin Secrets, the ISW said that Putin reportedly gave Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu "a deadline" of early October "to improve the situation on the frontlines, stop Ukrainian counteroffensives, and have Russian forces regain the initiative to launch an offensive operation against a larger city," like Kherson, Odessa, Kharkiv, or Dnepropetrovsk. The message posted to the Telegram channel said that Shoigu agreed to both of those demands and promised to make them happen. ISW noted that if Putin's demand to dramatically improve Russia's standing on the frontlines is true, it could explain why Russian forces are launching frequent counterattacks even if they come at a steep cost to the Russian military. "ISW has previously observed instances in which" Russia's ministry of defense, "fearing the imminent loss of Putin's favor, intensified its efforts to purge commanders who offered honest but negative views and advice and pursued unachievable military objectives at the expense of Russian forces," the institute's assessment said. Posted by: Enver Slager8035 2023-09-26 |
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