Will 2023 be a year of great upheavals for the Russian army? Since January 11, the command of the troops present in Ukraine has been changed and entrusted to Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. The first weeks of the year were also marked by several announcements by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. While he thought he was waging a blitzkrieg, Russia has launched a long war that he must now handle differently.
- Follow information about the Ukrainian war with the Figaro app
Last week, Minister Sergey Shoigu outlined the contours of a wide-ranging military reform that will be implemented in 2023-2026. His ministry also announced several more short-term directives aimed at raising the professionalism of the armed forces without delay. emphasizes the very serious American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Among them, banning Russian soldiers serving in Ukraine from using mobile phones or personal vehicles and… from wearing beards.
Avoid further disasters
A ban on the use of electronic equipment for personal use in the military is already in place in theory, but is rarely respected. The Defense Ministry is seeking to avoid another massacre following a Ukrainian strike that killed at least 89 Russian soldiers (400, according to Ukrainian military authorities) in the heart of the temporary military quarters of Makiivka. On the eve of the year. Immediately after this attack, the ministry conveniently blamed it on Russian soldiers who used their mobile phones to wish their loved ones a Happy New Year.
These electronic devices would allow Ukraine to deploy large concentrations of troops and deliver precision strikes. In the field, however, this equipment is used to fly reconnaissance drones and transmit intelligence data. “Tablets and smartphones are essential to modern warfare– remembered Wagner’s manager Yevgeny Prigogine during an interview with one of the Russian media. Thanks to the collected data, the fighters know the general situation and can transmit vital information“.
HAVEalso – War in Ukraine. Ukraine. The Russian military says it has carried out “offensive operations” in the Zaporizhia region
The beard banelementary aspect of military discipline»
More anecdotally, the obligation to shave the beard nevertheless indicates the desire of the Russian high command to professionalize the army. In its January 16 daily note, the ISW said hygiene on the front lines has often been a point of friction between officers and their men, with the latter often refusing to shave. In an interview with Russian news site RBC, reported by Reuters, deputy and former high-ranking officer Viktor Sobolev called the beard ban “elementary aspect of military discipline“. “A soldier is seen by civilians, he must look exemplary. If he walks unkempt and unshaven, it does not honor him as a man or as a soldier.“, he elaborated.
A significant number of Muslims and Orthodox wear beards in accordance with their religious practices.
Yevgeny Prigogine on Telegram
“This measure may seem trivial, but respecting or ignoring these standards is a sign of professionalism in regular troops.notes ISW. Failure to meet these standards can lead to demoralization and poor performance in understaffed and demoralized units.“. Also, according to ISW, these instructions could very well be made public.”in order to assess the effectiveness of the chain of command of the Russian army“.
A fresh welcome treat
But this measure was coldly received, even by some relatives of Vladimir Putin. “A soldier must fight.80%once in a while he washes with a bottle, and shaving is generally a great luxury“Eugene Prigogine commented on her Telegram channel and again she described these orders as”absurd“and D”1960s archaisms“. Wagner’s boss also noted that “A significant number of Muslims and Orthodox wear beards in accordance with their religious practices“.
The argument presented by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, who saw in this directive “provocationagainst its soldiers, mostly Muslims, and an act of Islamophobia. “Sobolev knows perfectly well who wears a beard on the front lines and why“, he wrote on Telegram. According to the Russian RBC news agency, the brigade commander of the separatist forces in Donbas noted that this event, in any case, has not yet had any reaction on the ground. “We have no such restrictions on the front line“, he said.
HAVEalso – War in Ukraine. Russia’s biggest serial killer wants to join Wagner’s mercenaries
More ambitious reforms until 2026
In any case, “These directives are likely part of a deeper effort by the Russian Ministry of Defense to implement large-scale military reforms.,” ISW points out. In its January 17 post, the think tank does relay much more ambitious statements, detailed by Sergei Shoigu himself and coming directly from Vladimir Putin. Thus, by 2026, Russia can establishextensive changesin the armed forces, in the military and administrative units.
Thus, the Minister of Defense announced that the number of Russian soldiers should be increased from 1.35 to 1.5 million and the military districts of Moscow and Leningrad would be restored, bringing the number of districts to six. First of all, a new army corps can be formed in Karelia, on the border of Finland, where the army of this northern country is in a constant state of readiness. According to the Ministry, new groups of autonomous forces will be deployed in Ukraine and the training of troops will be strengthened. So far, and in light of the major unfinished reforms of the Russian military undertaken in 2008, there is no indication that Russia “will be able to implement these changes within three years“, ISW comments.
HAVEalso – The United States considers the Wagner group an international criminal organization
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.