The head of Russia’s general staff personally came to Izyum, sources said. Why is Putin putting him in the front?
The Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, visited the front line in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian and American sources. According to some reports, Russia’s first deputy defense minister, who was among those who decided on a massive invasion of Ukraine, was injured in Izyum, Kharkov region. Athletistic telling details.
Putin sent Gerasimov to Izyum
The Chief of the Russian General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, visited advanced positions in eastern Ukraine last week, the New York Times writes on the night of May 1, citing a high -ranking Ukrainian official . Two U.S. officials confirmed this information, the newspaper notes.
Information that Gerasimov was in Ukraine began to appear in the media on April 27. Thus, it was written by the edition of Defense Express, which cooperates with the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and military experts. According to him, the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Federation personally came to lead the offensive of Russian troops in the direction of Izyum on the instructions of Vladimir Putin.
Two days later, social networks began writing about his death, but on May 1, authorities reported that he was slightly injured. However, the NYT wrote that when the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an attack on the Russian-occupied city of Izyum on Saturday, Gerasimov had already returned to Russia.
At the same time, about 200 Russian soldiers were killed in the attack, including at least one general, a Ukrainian official told the newspaper. We are talking about Major General Andrei Simonov. “The decision to destroy the facility was made not because of Gerasimov, but because it is an important base of operations,” the source added.
Attack on a Russian convoy in the Izyum area. Screenshot from a video posted by the National Guard on April 30, 2022
It should be noted that on May 1, Advisor to the Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko wrote that the Armed Forces of Ukraine went to the headquarters of the second army of the Russian Federation, where Gerasimov’s headquarters is located. He reported “a large number of 200s (dead – ed.) To senior officers.” A few hours earlier, Aleksey Arestovich, an adviser to the Office of the President, spoke about this strike and “600 dead according to optimistic forecasts.”
Ukrainian journalist Oleksandr Shulman also wrote on Facebook about Gerasimov’s injury, and former Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov quoted (without citing the source) a report that it was a “ shrapnel wound to the right shin without breaking the bone. ” In addition, the death of Gerasimov’s personal bodyguard was reported.
Americans speaking to the NYT said Gerasimov had been in eastern Ukraine for the past few days, but they had no information about the strike carried out by Ukrainian forces at Russia’s headquarters.
But information about Gerasimov’s injury almost immediately began to decline. The founder of the investigation group Conflict Intelligence Team Ruslan Leviev said, citing a source, that on May 1, the head of the Russian General Staff flew to Belgorod, from where he went to Moscow. “He rode on his own, alive and well,” Leviev quoted his source as saying.
Several important planes have been stranded at Belgorod airport since yesterday. RF-85042 (Tu-154M of the Ministry of Defense) and RF-85136 (Tu-154M of the Russian Guard) arrived yesterday. Now, in addition to them, another empty RA-85426 (Tu-154B-2 of the Ministry of Defense) flew. Passengers await in helicopters, apparently.
– Ruslan Leviev (@RuslanLeviev) May 1, 2022
There, according to Leviev, were also present on the sides of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the National Guard. At this time, reported about the shelling and “cheering” of the territory near the village of Kalinino, located in the Yakovlevsky district of the Belgorod region. Local authorities said Russian forces were firing.
Ukrayinska Pravda, citing sources, wrote that the Armed Forces of Ukraine has “no time to” cover “Gerasimov near Izyum. There is no evidence of injury to the head of the Russian General Staff,” Viktor Andrusov, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, also said.
On May 2, Arestovich said that “there are reasonable doubts that Gerasimov was on Ukrainian territory, and even greater doubts that he was injured.”
He said it was certainly known about the destruction of 200 Russians as a result of three strikes at the headquarters, among them at least 30 senior officials.
“We also know for sure that one of the select units of the Russian special forces, which was guarding a very important man, was seriously wounded. Many were killed and wounded. That is, they were guarding someone, but Gerasimov was – still also a question, ”added the adviser to the head of the OP.
What does Gerasimov’s visit to the front mean?
The decision to invade Ukraine was made by Vladimir Putin in a narrow circle of hawks, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev and Gerasimov. Bloomberg wrote this with reference to two smart sources on April 20th.
In the weeks leading up to the invasion, they said, Putin’s circle of contacts had increasingly dwindled, but he had been in close contact with Shoigu, Gerasimov and Patrushev.
The fact that Gerasimov was one of three people, along with Putin and Shoigu, who from the beginning was primarily responsible for planning the course of the war against Ukraine, the NYT also writes. The publication states that having such a high -ranking official on the front line is “extremely unusual.”
Western officials and analysts say that with a sharp reduction in targets, the Russian army continues to struggle with logistical and coordination problems between its forces, while facing intense resistance from Ukrainians.
“We think he was there, because they admitted they didn’t solve all of their problems,” one NYT source said.
U.S. officials also said that General Gerasimov’s secret visit to Ukraine in the foreground shows the problems faced by the Russian occupiers in fighting the UAF.
“It probably means things aren’t going well for the Russians,” said U.S. Congressman Jason Crowe, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a former soldier who traveled to Kyiv on April 30 as part of a congressional delegation. of the US
Mikhail Samus, deputy director of the Center for the Army, Conversion and Disarmament for International Affairs, in an interview with TSN suggested that Putin send Gerasimov to the front line to see why the Russian army could not advance in eastern Ukraine.
“On February 24, they thought about a week before March 8, they were going to celebrate. But it didn’t go through … Why did Gerasimov go there? On Sunday, May 1, there were many planes in Belgorod, providing only flight of military leaders at this level. He understood why the map was not moving, “the expert said.
According to prominent Russian opposition leader Gennady Gudkov, Gerasimov was sent not to command, but “to fix the mess.”
“I have the impression that, in fear of Putin’s anger (there are serious showdowns in the Kremlin related to well -known events), I think he went there to clean up Russia’s mess to understand what was going on there when the army is not moving anywhere, helpless, “he told Ukrainian TV channel 24.
Gudkov noted that during the war in the Russian Federation, Gerasimov was second after Putin, and during peace, Shoigu was second. According to him, the strike at the headquarters of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation was an indication that “all key people of the Russian Federation” under the hood “of the West, they can be destroyed at any moment.”
What they write on social networks
As Rubik Khachikyan said in the movie “Mimino”: “I’ll tell you a smart thing, but don’t get hurt.” In general, it was good that Shoigu did not die, and Gerasimov was not hit by two hundred. What if someone who was at least a little smarter was appointed instead of them, which was just coincidental? Why such a risk?
– Pan Doktor (@pan_dok) May 1, 2022
Shouting https://t.co/4q1pYgkUEq
– Serhii Sternenko (@sternenko) May 2, 2022
Tse General Gerasimov has been fighting for 2 days, scratching his leg with helicopters?
If yoga is locked for fighting spirit, that’s fine. Shortest encouragement of the year– Yana Suporovska (@YanaSuporovska) May 2, 2022
General Gerasimov was wounded in the head by a fragment of the shell. Half of the skull was removed. The brain is not affected. pic.twitter.com/Dy28zstrGP
– Nasha Canada🇨🇦Our Canada (@NashaCanada) May 1, 2022
Prior to the inevitable disassembly of the bunker on May 9, Gerasimov decided to sink into the wound, asked it to go to the front and was slightly injured in the pulp.
– Andrei Piontkovsky (@apiontkovsky) May 1, 2022
Here everyone wrote that General Gerasimov was close to Izyum. Excuse me, but Valera is drinking now, she hasn’t been to work for over a week. To hide it, they launched a version that he was “in the army”, but of course no one saw him there. pic.twitter.com/MRAG6NtWzM
– Professor Talk (@SergejTalk) April 29, 2022
Evil tongues say that Gerasimov himself volunteered to command under Izyum. My husband ordered a washer and kettle. And then they brought everything, and what are we, suckers? he says.
– President Thoughts (@VVP2_0) April 28, 2022
– they wrote that Gerasimov was slightly wounded in the head
– Why easy?
– because of the head– Stalker (@ValBodin) May 1, 2022
Arriving at the front of the battle and seeing the level of unprofessionalism of the Russian army, General Gerasimov tried to shoot himself in the head, but missed and was hit in the leg.
– Igor Trumen (@Trumen_217) May 1, 2022
They spread that Gerasimov himself had come close to Izyum. Like, now he will personally command the troops in this direction. If this is true, we have a nice target for Ukrainian artillery and MTRs here. May it be a glorious hunt. pic.twitter.com/AbVaj4n2xR
– Aslan (@antiputler_news) April 28, 2022
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Source: korrespondent
