What happened? Four of the five generals of the russian army who commanded the elements of the invasion of Ukraine in February have been dismissed.
Source. The report of British intelligence.
Details. The intelligence officers note that after eight months of war, major elements of russia’s military leadership are increasingly becoming dysfunctional. At the tactical level, there is almost certainly a worsening shortage of capable russian junior officers who organise and lead newly mobilised reservists.
The British report that, according to eyewitnesses' testimony, the shooting of russian mobilised soldiers at a training ground near Belgorod on October 15 was provoked by an officer’s abusive comments towards ethnic minority recruits.
It is noted that poor lower-level leadership is likely worsening morale and unit cohesion in many parts of the russian force.
The replacement of four generals with direct operational command of elements of the invasion in February had little effect on improving the fighting condition of the russian army.
“The lack of command continuity will likely be more disruptive than in a Western military because under russian doctrine the development of plans sits largely with the commander personally, rather than as a collective effort across a broader staff,” the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom notes.