Russia’s attempts to force a bridgehead at the strategically important Siversky Donets River in the Donbas region near the village of Bilohorivka were a disaster. Three separate attempts were beaten back with pontoon bridges destroyed and scores of armored vehicles destroyed or abandoned. A Russian battalion tactical group (BTG) of 550 soldiers was almost annihilated in the failed assault.
Drone footage from Planet.com was closely analyzed and showed that 73 armored vehicles, nearly an entire complement of a BTG’s vehicles, were destroyed or abandoned on both sides of the river. It was a disaster for the Russian forces, who tried to rush the attack, according to Western military analysts.
The UK Ministry of Defense reported that the Russians lost “significant armored maneuver elements of at least one Battalion Tactical Group.” The Institute for the Study of War estimated that as many as 485 of the BTG may have been killed or wounded in the attack.
Russian Reports Surface on Blogs and Social Platforms
This latest and significant Russian setback has shown the first cracks in Russia’s absolute control of what news the average Russian citizens see about the war. President Vladimir Putin enacted a law that any criticism of the war would result in lengthy jail sentences.
The New York Times was the first to report that many Russian bloggers who cover the war and at times are embedded with Russia’s troops are now, for the first time, criticizing the war, the generals who lead it, as well as the issues supplying their troops.
Yuri Podolyaka, who calls himself a “political observer” and has been shown on YouTube.com and his Telegram channel as merely a Russian propagandist, was particularly critical of the debacle of the failed assault.
He posted a video on his Telegram channel where he stated that he had been “quiet for a long time,” but no longer, he said, criticizing the war effort.
“The last straw that overwhelmed my patience was the events around Bilohorivka, where due to stupidity — I emphasize, because of the stupidity of the Russian command — at least one battalion tactical group was burned, possibly two,” he said to his 2.1 million followers.
He ridiculed the official Moscow line that the timetable of the war “was going according to plan” and reiterated an observation that I made weeks ago that Russian soldiers have a shortage of night vision equipment as well as drones and other equipment “that is catastrophically lacking on the front.”
“Yes, I understand that it’s impossible for there to be no problems in war,” Podolyaka said. “But when the same problems go on for three months, and nothing seems to be changing, then I personally and in fact millions of citizens of the Russian Federation start to have questions for these leaders of the military operation.”
This last line was telling in that he didn’t just question the failed river crossing but cast a wide net over the entire operation. As casualties mount, Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu aren’t going to face open criticism … yet. But Putin can’t hide the casualties being suffered forever. And this could lead to many Russian generals being purged as Putin searches for scapegoats.
A second Russian blogger hinted at this, posting about the failed operation, “Until we get the last name of the military genius who laid down a B.T.G. by the river and he answers for it publicly, we won’t have had any military reforms.”
But what he wrote afterward, hinting at a purge reminiscent of Stalin, was perhaps most telling. How can one not remember Comrade Stalin, who, despite the difficult war days, was not afraid to make tough personnel decisions?
Starshe Eddy (Older Than Edda), another pro-Russian propagandist on Telegram, wrote that Russian commanders left so much of their force exposed amounted to “not idiocy, but direct sabotage.”
Russia has kept a tight lid on news that hasn’t been favorable to the war effort. But that may soon change, and if so, then the Kremlin will look for someone to blame other than Putin.
Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Army Special Forces NCO, and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 19fortyfive.com and for another military news organization, he has covered the NFL for PatsFans.com for more than 10 years. His work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.
