#pandemonium in russia's military establishment

[tomorrowusa]

Th Russian military has been in a greater state of turmoil than it usually is.

A senior Russian general in command of forces in occupied southern Ukraine says he was suddenly dismissed from his post after accusing Moscow’s Defense Ministry leadership of betraying his troops by not providing sufficient support. Gen. Ivan Popov was the commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army, which has been engaged in heavy fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region. He is one of the most senior officers to have taken part in the bloody Russian campaign in Ukraine. Popov said he had raised questions about “the lack of counter-battery combat, the absence of artillery reconnaissance stations and the mass deaths and injuries of our brothers from enemy artillery,” in a voice note published on Telegram late Wednesday.

In military terms, Russia can't even cope with the basics. Gen. Popov blames Putin crony Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu “signed the order and got rid of me,” the general also said in the recording, as he accused the top Kremlin official of treason. “As many commanders of divisional regiments said today, the servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine could not break through our army from the front, (but) our senior commander hit us from the rear, treacherously and vilely decapitating the army at the most difficult and tense moment,” Popov said.

Russian senior officers have been taking it on the chin lately.

Another Russian General Killed in Occupied Ukraine

Russian Lieutenant General Oleg Yuryevich Tsokov was reportedly killed in an overnight attack by Ukrainian forces in the city of Berdyansk. The information was confirmed on the Telegram channel of the mayor of Mariupol, Peter Andryushchenko, and then by an advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko, on Twitter. Later Andryushchenko suggested that this had been an attack against the “Duna Hotel” which had been commandeered as accommodation for the Russian military leadership in the occupied town. According to local reports, cited by the mayor, the hotel was all but completely destroyed in spite of reports that anti-missile defenses were sited close to the building. Unconfirmed reports say the building may have been struck by a Storm Shadow missile.

Cheers to the UK for supplying Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles! 🍻🇬🇧

Russian commander killed while jogging may have been tracked on Strava app

A Russian submarine commander shot to death while jogging on Monday may have been targeted by an assailant tracking him on a popular running app, according to Russian media. Stanislav Rzhitsky was killed earlier this week in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar by an “unknown person,” state news agency TASS reported, adding that “the motive for the crime is being investigated.” [ ... ] Russian media earlier reported that Rzhitsky’s killer may have used Strava, a widely available app used by runners and cyclists, to follow his movements.

Yes, this is yet another idiotic lapse in basic security by Russians. Rzhitsky was essentially broadcasting to the world his exact location with an exercise app.

Top Russian General Missing Since Mutiny Is ‘Currently Resting,’ Lawmaker Says

Russian General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia’s war in Ukraine—who is also known to have ties with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin—is “currently resting” and “not available for now,” said a lawmaker from Russia’s ruling party. The comment came in response to questions Wednesday about Surovikin’s whereabouts. Surovikin, who is known in the Russian media as “General Armageddon” due to the tactics he used in the bloody Syrian civil war, is one of several notable Russian military leaders who have not been seen in public since Wagner’s aborted mutiny last month.

Of course the place where "General Armageddon" is resting could very well be a gulag.

While regular press freedom no longer exists in Russia, there is still a rather robust exchange of information on Telegram. This news of chaos and incompetence among the top military leadership will gradually filter through much of the population – including the cannon fodder at the front.