Russian commander: The situation in the war is 'depressing'
Created: 09/13/2022, 20:34
By: Constantin Hoppe
A commander in the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" is unexpectedly critical of the Russian army.
He speaks of "fundamental problems".
Kyiv -- Alexander Khodakovsky, a Kremlin-backed commander and former political leader in eastern Ukraine's self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic," has offered a rarely somber assessment of Russia's performance in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
“On the one hand I am depressed about the results of this phase of the war, on the other hand I am against a general mobilization.
How then to reverse the course of events?” Chodakowski wrote on his Telegram channel on Monday (September 12),
Newsweek
reports .
Ukrainian troops move on the road in the liberated area in the Kharkiv region.
© Kostiantyn Liberov/dpa
Criticism of the possible war mobilization of Russia - commander speaks of fundamental problems
Khodakowski, heads the pro-Russian Vostok Battalion of the self-declared "Donetsk People's Republic".
On Monday he spoke about the possibility of mobilizing the Russian population.
This may become necessary for Russia as President Vladimir Putin's troops are pushed back from the southern Kharkiv region following a successful counteroffensive by Ukraine.
Alexander Chodakowski at a press conference in 2016. © Friedemann Kohler/dpa
The 49-year-old went on to say that announcing a war mobilization – which would allow Putin to call up conscripts and mobilize reserve forces under Russian law – would not solve any fundamental problems within the Russian army.
Rather, the prominent commander warned that should Putin announce a general mobilization, he would deal the country a "deep blow that it will not be able to withstand."
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Again, the main problem facing the Russian army in the Ukraine war was not a lack of personnel: “I have fewer people than I would like, but the main problem is not there, but that I sometimes see the enemy positions from which they attack us attack, cannot find,” added Chodakowski.
"If I can then I don't have enough range to shoot them or I don't have enough ammo."
The biggest problem for Khodakowski lies in the insufficient equipment of the Russian army.
This was due to poor organization of the army and its "sloppy deployment" in Ukraine.
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"If this approach is maintained, no matter how many people you mobilize, shortages will remain constant, and Russia will be overwhelmed by a wave of funeral announcements," Khodakovsky wrote on his Telegram channel.
And added: "The shortage is caused by a simplified approach, and to cultivate it further means to grind the resources in the meat grinder of war." (Constantin Hoppe)