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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russian Troops Killed Waiting for Commander's Motivational Speech: Reports |
| 2023-06-15 |
| [Newsweek] Multiple well-known pro-Kremlin military bloggers on Wednesday reported that an unspecified amount of Russian soldiers were killed by a Ukrainian HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) strike while waiting for their commander to deliver a motivational speech. 200+ has been mentioned. Newsweek was unable to independently verify the reports, but prominent Russian bloggers such as Rybar and Starshe Eddy wrote about the alleged incident they said occurred near Kreminna—a city in Ukraine's eastern region of Luhansk—on their Telegram channels. The reports from the so-called "milbloggers" come as the Kremlin has increasingly acknowledged the influence of such voices. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally met with several military bloggers to discuss his war in Ukraine. According to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War think tank, Putin's goal of the televised event was to "assuage widespread discontent in the Russian information space" about recent attacks in the Belgorod region, drone strikes inside Russian territory and "border security in general." Despite Putin's gesture of goodwill, the reported HIMARS strike resulted in anger from milbloggers. "If by the middle of the second year of the war there are commanders who...build personnel in one big pile, and then wait for the enemy artillery to strike, then such commanders should be shot," Starshe Eddy wrote on Telegram. "Near Kreminna, a tragic incident occurred in one of the divisions that were about to go on the offensive. For two hours, people stood in a crowd in one place and waited for the division commander to say his motivating word," Rybar wrote. The blogger continued, "But instead of him, the HIMARS and enemy artillery had their say." None of the bloggers named the division commander, who was accused of "criminal stupidity" by Rybar, nor did anyone provide an estimate of victims killed in their accounts. Major Gen Sakrrab Akhmedov, the subgenius of Vuhledar. "Stand in a column for two hours in one place! Well, what are you doing, father commanders, you command people," the Russian Telegram channel Two Majors channel posted. |
| Posted by: Enver Slager8035 |
| #5 I once had the opportunity to demonstrate my very poor ability to perform the manual of arms for three hours in the hot and humid weather of the Maryland summer for a CNO COC ceremony. I believe I and many of my classmates were hungover. Several of them had to be extracted by a Marine O-3 and accompanying Corpsman and Gunny over the wall of the ramps that slope down from the front doors of Bancroft Hall at USNA. By the end of it, I would have welcomed a bunker buster. Instead we likely went out drinking again that night. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2023-06-15 13:57 |
| #4 Shit happens. In war it happens a lot. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2023-06-15 13:04 |
| #3 I myself, with numerous others, have nearly died under similar circumstances. Of course, we were standing in formation in 95d heat while some REMF was trying to bore us to death. Very nearly succeeded. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2023-06-15 10:47 |
| #2 'Newsweek was unable to independently verify the reports', I'll wait for verification. Speculation, media fodder. |
| Posted by: Dale 2023-06-15 03:59 |
| #1 I have met better strategist playing call of war than the Russian "commanders" seem to be. |
| Posted by: Chris 2023-06-15 03:53 |