On May 11, the Russian command sent about 550 troops to force the Donets River to encircle Ukrainian troops near Rubezhnoye. The Institute for the Study of War, citing an analysis of the available images, notes that the losses of the Russian Federation could amount to 485 people, and more than 80 units of equipment were destroyed.
Destruction of the Russian battalion when he tried to cross the river in northeastern Ukraine last week was one of the deadliest fighting in the war, with estimates based on publicly available evidence that more than 400 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded. And as the details of the event become clearer, the scale of the occupier's human losses seems to be breaking through the Kremlin's tightly controlled information bubble, according to The New York Times.
Apparently , the most striking thing is that the failure of the Russian battle resonates with statements by pro-Russian bloggers, some of whom are in the military – they publish on the social network Telegram statements about “Russia's success at the front.”
“The comments of these widely bloggers may raise growing doubts in Russia about Russia's prospects in this war and the competence of Russia's military leadership,” said experts from the Washington Institute for War Studies.
encirclement of Ukrainian troops
It will be recalled that on May 11, the Russian command sent about 550 servicemen of the 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 41st All-Military Army to force the Donets River near Belogorovka in eastern Luhansk to encircle Ukrainian troops near Rubezhnoye./p>
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Satellite images show that Ukrainian artillery destroyed several pontoon bridges and devastated the dense concentration of Russian troops and equipment around the river.
Institute for the Study war, citing an analysis based on publicly available images, indicated that the losses of the Russian Federation could amount to 485 killed or wounded, also destroyed more than 80 units of equipment.
“Stunning lack of tactical sense” in the actions of Russian troops in Ukraine
As news of the loss at the Belogorovka crossing began to spread, some Russian bloggers did not seem to refrain from criticizing what they considered incompetent leadership. p>
“I have been silent for a long time,” Yuri Podolyaka, a military blogger with 2.1 million Telegram subscribers, said in a video released on Friday, noting that he had so far avoided criticism from the Russian military. “The last straw that overwhelmed my patience was the events around Belogorovka, where at least one battalion tactical group, perhaps two, was burned because of stupidity – I emphasize, because of the stupidity of the Russian command.”
Podoliak mocked the Kremlin's position Another popular blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, said Russia's offensive in the east was moving slowly, not only because of the lack of reconnaissance drones, but also because of “these generals” and their tactics.
Western military analysts have also studied the footage of the crossing and say the Russians' attempt at one of Ukraine's battles demonstrated a “staggering lack of tactical sense.”
They suggested that Russian commanders, desperate to make progress, accelerated the operation. Some also said the situation was a reflection of the unrest in Russia's ranks.
If the estimates that hundreds of soldiers were killed or wounded turn out to be accurate, it will be one of the deadliest battles of the war.
In April, more than 500 sailors aboard Russia's Black Sea flagship Moscow were hit by a Ukrainian missile. The Kremlin first insisted that all the sailors had been rescued, but later claimed that one had been killed. But while the families of the missing sailors have publicly demanded answers, Russian authorities have largely remained silent about the crew's fate as part of a large-scale campaign to crack down on bad news.
