Strategic miscalculation: Putin forbade his generals to withdraw troops from Kherson - the media
According to American officials, in particular Putin rejected the request of the Generality of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to withdraw troops from Kherson to the Dnieper to preserve personnel and equipment. About it writes the newspaper The New York Times. The observers say that the withdrawal of troops from Kherson would be another humiliating public recognition of Putin's failure in the war and would bring Ukraine a second great victory for the last month.
Since Kherson is the only big city in the south of Ukraine, which is under the occupation of the Russians, his release would be a great achievement of President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky as the Commander -in -Chief of the Armed Forces, journalists write. The withdrawal of Russian troops for the Dnieper would also become a serious failure of the "referendum" on joining the Russian Federation, since conducting such fictitious votes is the key purpose of Moscow.
In connection with the declaration of partial mobilization in Russia, it is noted that Moscow has too small forces in Ukraine, and in addition, the Russian army suffers from a lack of high -tech high -precision weapons and cannot be achieved in the sky of Ukraine. Therefore, the military command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation offered Putin a plan for retreating from Kherson, which Putin rejected.
However, Americans claim that this refusal has further undermined the moral spirit of Russian soldiers, which were mostly cut off from supply lines, and which may be in a dangerous position in the event of the Armed Forces. "The situation in Ukraine is clearly dynamic. It is too early for a full assessment, but it is clear to me that the strategic initiative has already passed to Ukrainians," said the chairman of the Joint Committee of Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Millie.
The Pentagon believes that the success of the Ukrainian army near Kharkov has deep negative strategic consequences for Moscow. And this is evidenced by the differences between Putin and Russian generals on the situation in the Kherson region. In this regard, US officials predict serious troubles for Russians in the south of Ukraine, if the Armed Forces can repeat the success in the counter -offensive in this direction, since the next stage the Ukrainian army will enter the Crimea.
Differences to Kherson is not a single case. Americans say that at the beginning of the war, the Russian generals questioned the Blitzkriggian of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the purpose of rapid seizure of Kiev, since the number of troops involved and weapons was clearly insufficient. Because of this, the command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation had to develop a new strategy for war, which is a war on exhaustion.