On Friday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian Major General Andriy Kolesnikov had been killed in action somewhere in Ukraine. Exactly where Kolesnikov was killed isn’t clear, but just two days earlier Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of the 41st Army, was reportedly killed in fighting near Kharkiv. Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army, was reportedly shot by a sniper near the city of Mariupol on Feb 28. Sukhovetsky’s death was confirmed directly by Vladimir Putin. In addition to these three generals, Russia has lost at least three colonels, at least one of which has been confirmed by Russia.
In 2014, U.S. Maj. Gen. Harold Greene was killed in Afghanistan when a U.S.-trained Afghani soldier opened fire as Green was reviewing troops at an Afghan army base. He was the first U.S. general to be killed in action in over 40 years.
That at least one of these officers was killed by a sniper is a good indicator that Ukraine’s best riflemen are doing what they’re supposed to do when given the opportunity — take out high value targets that have the greatest impact on Russia’s ability to organize and act. But that doesn’t answer the bigger question: What the hell are generals doing on the front lines in the first place?
For Gen. Sukhovetsky, the answer may be as simple as the reason that Russian tanks stopped outside of Kyiv were found to be carrying dress uniforms — things weren’t supposed to go this way. The general may have well been expecting to be conducting a review of Russian troops on the main square of Mariupol, rather than catching a bullet in the smoldering suburbs.
Another reason for all the high-ranking deaths may come down to a single word: Morale.
Since the start of the invasion, there have been reports that Russian troops didn’t understand the action they were going into. There have also been videos showing Russian forces reluctant to drive through screens of civilians blocking highways, or holding desultory chats with Ukrainian motorists. Russian generals may have found it necessary — or been ordered — to get hands-on with troops who thought they were going on a training exercise, only to find themselves rolling into hell.
In any case, it’s not clear how much damage is being done to Russia by the loss of these generals and colonels. If there’s anything the Russian Army has in quantity, it is guys whose uniforms are weighted down with medals. These commanders may represent invaluable knowledge and leadership being lost. Or they could just be the most corrupt jackasses ordered to get in there after it was discovered they spent the money that was supposed to go to maintaining tanks on a new dacha.
Either way, these deaths don’t seem like a good sign for the overall health of the Russian military.
Friday, Mar 11, 2022 · 4:34:04 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Earlier on Friday, reports indicated that Russian forces had concentrated around Kyiv and were attempting to expand encirclement of the city. But that attempt has apparently been brought to an abrupt halt by Ukrainian forces.
Friday, Mar 11, 2022 · 4:57:23 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Russian forces that were spread out along miles of road northwest of Kyiv have now reportedly been brought in closer to the front lines. Despite reports of Ukrainian victories both NW and NE of the city, Russia still has a large number of forces that are apparently massing for attack.
Friday, Mar 11, 2022 · 5:00:49 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
In the wake of an apparent “false flag” operation in which Russian planes staged an attack on a Belarusian village just over the border from Ukraine, there are numerous reports that Belarus troops are on the move. The Ukrainian military is claiming that a report could happen in the next few hour (specifically at 9PM in Kyiv).
Other reports have indicated that troop transports have been seen on the highways in the west of Belarus, near Brest. Should Belarusian forces move south, they could establish yet another “front,” hundreds of miles from current fighting. What forces Ukraine has in the area are unclear.
Friday, Mar 11, 2022 · 5:11:20 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
This would be at least the second Russian jet brought down by the Polish Piorun. In this set up, the Piorun is the actual missile — a 5’ long, 40 lb, high speed weapon capable of hitting targets up to 4 miles away. But this one appears to have been launched using an old Soviet launch system paired with some new optics.
Quite a mish-mash of parts that appears to have been quite effective.
Friday, Mar 11, 2022 · 5:34:52 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Heavy bombing in Chernihiv has destroyed two schools, killed at least 48 civilians. This is, again, not by coincidence. Attacking schools, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure as a means of breaking down the national will is the Russian strategy.
Cell service and internet to the area has been largely knocked off line, so it may be some time before more details of the situation in Chernihiv emerge.
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