~6 0~p>Putin's latest moves suggest he has great confidence in his prospects on the battlefield.
Periodic disturbances from -incompetence and corruption at the top of the Russian military have hindered Russian President Vladimir Putin's war efforts since the start of his invasion of Ukraine
The New York Times writes about this 60~/strong>.
At every step, the Russian president avoided any serious public steps that could be seen as validating criticism, keeping his defense secretary and top general in place in the firestorm, shuffling commanders on the battlefield, and making other moves lower in the chain.
Now, with a crisis on the battlefield and Prigozhin dead, the Russian leader decided to act, changing defense ministers for the first time in more than a decade and authorizing a series of corruption arrests among top ministry officials.
“The moves ushered in the biggest reform of the Russian Defense Ministry since the invasion began and reaffirmed Mr. Putin's preference for avoiding major, rapid changes in the midst of a crisis, and instead acting at low-profile times of his own choosing,” — the message says.
Putin's latest moves suggest he has great confidence in his prospects on the Ukrainian battlefield and his political authorities at the beginning of their fifth presidential term, experts say.
Russian troops are making progress in Ukraine, seizing territory around Kharkov and in the Donbass region as Ukraine struggles with aid delays from the United States and limited supplies of ammunition and personnel. The Kremlin leadership is optimistic.
“They likely view the force's situation as stable enough to punish some in the military leadership for its previous failures “, said Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Who fell under Putin's hand
Senior Researcher Carnegie Endowment for International Peace employee Dara Massicot said that the arrests of officials are unlikely to eradicate large-scale corruption in the Russian military establishment, but they may make senior officials think twice before stealing on a large scale, at least for a while.
Major General Ivan Popov, the senior Russian military commander who led the forces holding back the Ukrainian counteroffensive, rebuked the Russian military leadership. Recently he was detained on charges of fraud. According to his lawyer, he denies any wrongdoing. public displays of defiance – which the country's leadership feels need to be addressed,” said Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. “Now is a very good time for this, because there is no short-term acute risk on the battlefield.”
Exper stated that they will arrest not only people from the group of former Chairman Shoigu, but also representatives of other clans of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
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