WP: Russia's Summer Offensive Successfully Fails
- 30.06.2025, 15:37
Because of an army that is mired in problems.
Russia has launched a summer offensive in eastern Ukraine and is slowly advancing, using its advantage in manpower and weapons. The coming months should be crucial for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in his efforts to force Ukraine to capitulate. This is according to The Washington Post.
At the same time, Russia's progress over the past two years in the war against Ukraine has been slow. According to experts, the reason for this is the state of the Russian army.
In particular, Russian military analyst Yan Matveev predicted that the Russian summer offensive will not lead to a radical breakthrough, but during it the occupiers may seize several thousand square kilometers of territory. He noted that the Russians are unable to conduct complex operations in Ukraine due to weak intelligence, corruption, logistical failures and poor training.
"This tactic [mass assault] is the only thing the Russian military is capable of at the moment. And it is very inhumane, because in fact dead people are being traded for territory. What we have in the Russian army now is a lot of soldiers, but they have no training," Matveev said.
Russian military bloggers and independent media outlets say that recent months have shown a "portrait" of Russia's military culture, including generals who make false claims about seizing villages and troops who are sent on "meat assaults."
"Commanders are often described as corrupt - they demand bribes to save soldiers from lethal attacks and implement punishment regimes, including putting soldiers in cages or "zeroing" them out, meaning killing them or sending them on suicide attacks. The result, according to these bloggers, is low morale, desertion and widespread drunkenness and drug abuse among Russian soldiers," the WP said.
At the same time, another military blogger, Philologist in Ambush, wrote that talk of army strength and patriotism is meaningless as troops face a shortage of fighters every day.
"As long as a soldier has to spend half of his salary on potatoes, onions and carrots, milk and meat, drones and incubators, body armor and normal uniforms, guns and ammunition, generators and gasoline for them, Starlinks and ordinary radios and repeaters, he will not accept the 'patriotism' that is aggressively imposed on him," he said.
Russian military bloggers also complain that false reports about the capture of villages indicate that enemy units do not receive air or artillery support.
In particular, in mid-June it was reported that the military command mistakenly claimed to have captured the village of Komar in Donetsk Region.
"Lies again, and again ordinary Russian soldiers will die because of lies," military blogger Roman Alekhin complained on June 14.
In addition, dozens of videos have appeared in independent Telegram channels with complaints from Russian soldiers that the wounded are being sent back to the war unfit for combat. In particular, Suleiman Borshchigov from Russia's 353rd Motorized Rifle Regiment said that the group, which included "even one-armed, one-legged people," was forced to fight.
"We were all processed as fully fit. We were thrown into an assault squad and are now being sent out to kill," he noted.
At the same time, some Russian military bloggers say that without a new mobilization or additional DPRK troops, the enemy cannot advance.
The Washington Post adds that despite terrible conditions for soldiers, the Russian draft is still growing thanks to high pay and with big bonuses - more than 3 million rubles, which is more than $38,000.
"I would compare it to winning the lottery. Propaganda constantly tells them that everything is good on the front, and of course they think: 'Everything will be fine with me'," Matveev concluded.