Since the Chechen war, Putin has been improving the military. “He built a military structure for 22 years and then just destroyed it,” said Mark Galeotti, a senior fellow at the Royal Institute for Defense Studies.
Although, as we can see from the “improvements,” much is to be desired.
The war with Ukraine is a “very serious conflict.” In accordance with Russian military doctrine, it should be preceded by a long artillery preparation, explains Galeotti: a structured plan is needed, a clear command vertical – from soldiers to equipment and ammunition.
Even before the entry of troops into enemy territory, the main centers of resistance had to be suppressed. There was none of this – no unified command, no planning, no supply, summarizes Galeotti.
Russian units invaded Ukraine from three sides, and Western intelligence agencies until the fall of 2022 could not figure out who was in charge of the Ukrainian operation.
The Ukrainian intelligence services, although they had been warned by the US of the impending invasion, could not fully believe that an unprepared army would start a war.
In mid-February 2022, Ukrainian intelligence officers observed columns of stuck tanks and armored vehicles on the territory of the Russian Federation, soldiers changing fuel and supplies for alcohol, a kind of Potemkin village – dozens of tanks guarded by a small detachment, but without mechanics and the tankers themselves, WaPo wrote.
During the 14 months of the war, Putin and the command have not learned anything, the expert believes. The President did not even understand what Stalin understood at the start of the Patriotic War, he points out: after the disastrous defeats, Stalin realized that he needed to let the generals resist the German onslaught.
Putin continues to lead them and gave orders to commanders on the front lines in May and September 2022, the newspapers reported, citing US intelligence data. Much like Hitler, Putler is a narcissistic, non-military tactitian.
Galeotti believes that the operation in Ukraine is “Putin’s last war”: he will not have the military capabilities for new serious operations. And he will not. He has exhausted his resources, trusted advisors, Oligarchy friendships, and global credibility.
