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“I promise to be honest,” Russian President Vladimir Putin, 70, said Tuesday during a face-to-face meeting with Russia’s best-known military bloggers. They were allowed to ask him any questions that burned under their fingernails. After all, the military bloggers have proven to be an important authority in the war. Much of the Russian population informs itself about the situation during the war via Telegram instead of relying solely on Kremlin propaganda on state television. While the bloggers support the war, they also write about losses and problems that the Kremlin likes to keep secret.
For two hours, the Russian head of state sat at the table with the military correspondents, joked, talked about goals of the war that change, but somehow did not change, and sometimes criticized. Everyone remained calm and composed throughout the strange encounter. But just a few hours later, the war reporters were seething with rage.
It was not because of Putin’s reactions, but because of a successful Ukrainian attack on a Russian brigade near the Luhansk city of Kreminna. According to witnesses, the soldiers gathered there to greet their new general, Suchrab Akhmedov, and receive his orders.
“We fight against our own stupidity”
“For two hours, the soldiers stood in a crowd in one place, waiting for the division commander to give his words of encouragement,” writes Russian Telegram channel Rybar on Tuesday morning. “But instead they heard Himar and enemy artillery.”
And that is not the only critical voice. “You can’t stand with a column in one place for two hours!” writes the Telegram channel “Dwa Majora”. Completely bewildered, he continues: “What are your commanders doing, giving you orders? We struggle with our own stupidity and sloppiness.” The bloggers of the “Starsche Eddi” channel agree: “Such commanders should be shot on the battlefield, even if they are colonels or even generals.”
The Kremlin has not confirmed the Kreminna massacre. It is still unclear how many soldiers died. According to the Telegram channel «Dontstopwar» there were 30 dead and injured. Rybar insists that Akhmedov’s incompetence has claimed more lives than the fighting currently raging in Donetsk.
Putin admits that there are no capable generals
The incident once again confirms what Putin had to admit to the military bloggers a few hours earlier. Journalist Semyon Pegow criticized that skilled people could not reach the top. “The system won’t let them up,” he says. Putin admitted that there are plenty of “floor generals” who are completely “incompetent”. On the other hand, there are also good people. “Unfortunately, they are the ones who do not shy away from danger and die first,” the Kremlin chief said. And, “That’s a problem.”
It is clear to military bloggers that Akhmedov is an incompetent general. You want to see consequences. The blogger of the channel “Woennii Osmedowitel” writes that the division commander Akhmedov was previously noticed by “incompetence”.
He is said to be responsible for the death of an entire brigade in Wuhledar, after which an open letter was sent requesting that the commander be withdrawn from the city. Despite this, he was allowed to keep his rank of general and was decorated by Putin. Since the Kremlin has not commented on the Kreminna incident, Akhmedov is likely to keep his post. And that really pisses the bloggers off.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
