ISW: Russian military bloggers use Ukraine’s success in Urozhaine to criticize their command

This is stated in the report of the Institute for the Study of War.

A Russian milblogger complained on August 12 that the Russian 37th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade (36th Combined Arms Army, Eastern Military District) failed to dedicate tank units to support its infantry in Urozhaine and prematurely withdrew from Urozhaine on August 10, claiming they lacked reinforcements when in reality the unit’s personnel were drunk in the rear areas.

The milblogger also complained that the entire 36th Combined Arms Army (CAA) is unwilling to defend the settlement while the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) Kaskad Operational Tactical Combat Formation and the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade (Pacific Fleet) defend Urozhaine.

"These complaints generated a multitude of responses in the Russian information space, including attempts to deescalate tensions between the implicated Russian formations, doubling down on complaints against the 37th Brigade and 36th CAA, and accusing the initial milblogger who reported a Russian withdrawal from Urozhaine of attempting to inflate the reputation of other defending units at the expense of the 36th CAA’s reputation," ISW stated. 

It is also noted that another Russian blogger explained that the current situation at the front is related to the removal by the Russian military command of Major General Ivan Popov from the post of commander of the 58th AK in early July 2023.

Russian bloggers focused their complaints on the personnel of these units, rather than unit commanders or the war as a whole, suggesting that Popov's removal and other rumors of command purges may have led to the dismissal of Russian mid-level military commanders for the failures of the entire Russian army.

“Alexander Khodakovsky, commander of the “Vostok” battalion defending near Urozhaine, referenced Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) Commander Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky as saying that Russia cannot win in defense, and Khodakovsky complained that Russia expended its resources too early in the war and now needs to pause to accumulate resources for a new operation, indicating recognition that the Russian elastic defense in this area has its limitations. Teplinsky is reportedly responsible for planning the Russian defense of the Velyka Novosilka area," the ISW stated.

• On August 9, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine denied the information by the ISW that the Armed Forces allegedly carried out a limited raid across the Dnipro River and landed on the left bank in the Kherson region.