More rumours of the possibility that Putin will use the Victory Day celebrations to decree a general mobilisation and officially declare war on Ukraine.
From The Sunday Times
Russian generals are “turning in on themselves” because the war in Ukraine is not going to plan, the defence secretary said today.During a visit to Finland, Ben Wallace said military leaders were blaming each other for the “disaster” and feared being purged if the “quagmire” turns into a panicked retreat.
Military chiefs in the general staff were the scapegoats for President Putin’s failed invasion, he said, adding that those in the military system were “always terrified they are about to be purged and pushed out”.
General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian general staff, headed to the front line in Ukraine last month in a highly unusual move.
According to a Russian news outlet, Gerasimov, 66, was subsequently injured by shrapnel during fighting in Izyum, in eastern Ukraine, and evacuated. However, a senior defence source dismissed the claims, saying it was believed to be members of his entourage who were injured rather than Gerasimov himself.
Nine senior Russian military officials are thought to have been killed in the fighting so far, with western officials saying that they have been sent to the front lines to restore momentum among demoralised troops.
Wallace, who was in Finland to observe a military exercise with British troops and tanks, said generals were getting closer and closer to the front line trying to “sort out this quagmire that they’re in”. He added: “They do it by shouting and screaming at people but it tends not to get the best result.”
Asked if Gerasimov had been sent to Ukraine to be Putin’s “fall guy”, the cabinet minister said: “They’re all in fall guy territory. Be careful if you’re out in sole command of something in the Russian system, because it may not be for long.
“There is a point of tension in the system. As much as they respect the former KGB man [Putin] for being a strong leader, the Russian general staff are going to be made scapegoats for his mess.
“He [Putin] would be foolish, potentially, to blame Gerasimov and the other generals for what is predominantly a politically, emotive-driven invasion defying all logic. It’s a political decision he took, not a military one, and he needs to wear that decision.”
There is no one close to Putin who has told him to abandon plans to seize Ukraine, Wallace said, adding that the war could “very quickly turn from a quagmire to a rout” if the Russians collapse like they did north of Kyiv.
With Russia’s May 9 “Victory Day” looming, the defence secretary said it was possible Putin would use the event to start calling up further troops. He thought Putin could move away from calling the invasion a “special operation” and officially declare war on Ukraine.
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