Russia is losing many of its generals in the invasion of Ukraine, but why?

By some estimates, the Russian military deployed as many as 20 generals to lead the Russian attack in Ukraine. Of these, in less than a month, Russia lost at least 5 generals in battles. By comparison, the United States has lost two general officers during the Global War on Terror which has lasted for more than 20 years. Army Lt. General Timothy Maude was killed at the Pentagon during the September 11, 2001 attack, and Army Maj. General Harold Greene was killed in an August 5, 2014 insider attack in Afghanistan.

Death of a general in combat is rare, the death of multiple generals is almost unbelievable. This cannot be dismissed as a coincidence, and there is more than one factor involved. Let's get into the details.

marshal zhukov, Russia beyond

Russian commanders often tend to take a hands-on approach compared to Western military generals. They operated much closer to the front line. While maps and models are referred to, the Russian generals like to survey the territories themselves to optimize the battle plans. For example, during the "Uranus" operation in WWII, the Soviet General Marshal Zhukov personally visited the front and noticed the bad organization, insisted on a one-week delay in the start date of the planned attack. Though this kind of approach is fine from certain perspectives, there are some implications. It makes Russian generals more susceptible to enemy attacks and in some cases even friendly fire.

Russian troops have reportedly been suffering due to poor communication equipment that is unreliable. Ukrainian intelligence officials have indicated that they picked up on radio chatters expressing frustration over a breakdown in secure Russian communications equipment. Ukrainian forces have also been compounding Russia's communications woes by jamming their radio frequencies.

Video link: https://3speak.tv/watch?v=cronos0/oxtdfjlh

This has compelled many Russian soldiers to resort to using cell phones, which can be intercepted by the Ukrainians. Previously, in another article, I published the Russian military speeches caught by the Ukrainian secret service on this subject. Once a call is intercepted, it can be traced back to the location from which it is made and targeted. It is to be noted in this context that Ukraine is still in control of the country’s cellular network. Also, because of this Russian Generals are struggling to get support even when in dire need.

Russia's military command structure is very centralized. Russian soldiers at lower levels of command are given less responsibilities. They are trained to be submissive, but they cannot take any initiative themselves, so every soldier simply does what they are told, a Soviet-era hangover that still exists even today. The quality of these recruits is also not very good. Hence, there are a lot of responsibilities for the senior commanders. They plan as well as drive the battle. The Western militaries, generally are much more flexible. This kind of setup means that Russian commanders have a lot to do, their need for interactions and travel is a lot more compared to their Western counterparts. This makes them vulnerable especially when operating inside enemy territory.

turkish bayraktar tb2

Military experts around the world have pointed out that there is a lack of coordination between the Russian Air Force and ground troop formations. It is evident from the examination of several footages that Russian columns of troops moved forward beyond the reach of their air defense cover which exposed them to attacks. In fact, several times Russian convoys were ambushed by Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles that should have been landed by Russian aircraft or air defense systems beforehand. Russians are having difficulty coordinating multi-domain operations and hence at times, the senior commanders are finding themselves in scenarios from which there is no easy escape. Since Russia has not achieved air superiority, close air support is not always quickly available that could help the Russian military leaders wriggle out from tight spots.

Current situation in Ukraine. The siege of Kyiv is lifted, and the Russian troops are shifted to the eastern and southern fronts. liveuamap

Russian military planners underestimated the strength of Ukraine’s armed forces. It not only didn't take into account that the Ukrainian military has made significant progress in terms of training and equipment with the help of the West since the capture of Crimea in 2014, but has also made an improvement when it comes to formulating strategies. According to a report on the BBC, a specific Ukrainian military intelligence team has been set up to target Russia’s senior officers. This is part of the Ukrainian military tactic to damage the Russian military's decision-making abilities. Ukraine is numerically and equipment-wise at a disadvantage and hence such an asymmetric approach has been taken. This also helps to establish the narrative and information warfare. The loss of the leaders could also heavily affect the morale of the Russian troops, which had already been low since the beginning of hostilities.