Any purging of the highest ranks of the Russian military now will compromise Moscow’s ability to react quickly to Ukrainian operations, says HCSS strategic analyst Frederik Mertens in Newsweek. Ridding a military of politically unreliable elements never increases its efficiency; it not only purges capable officers, but also creates an insidious fear of missteps among those who remain.
Any purging of the highest ranks of the Russian military now will compromise Moscow’s ability to react quickly to Ukrainian operations, according to one expert, as Kyiv pushes forward with its counteroffensive.
Removing more experienced officers from the command chain will take away Russia’s ability to respond to Ukrainian operations, according to Frederik Mertens, a strategic analyst with the Hague Center for Strategic Studies.
But ridding a military of “politically unreliable elements never increases its efficiency,” Mertens told Newsweek.It not only purges capable officers, “but also creates an insidious fear of missteps among those who remain,” he added.
Problems with command chains, morale, discipline and transparency in the Russian military have long plagued its operations in Ukraine. But the current battlefield circumstances matter in a purging scenario, he stressed.
“As long as the battle remains static, this is survivable. But if the battle becomes mobile, this impedes the swift reactions that are needed and can in the most extreme cases result in de facto command paralysis,” Mertens said.
It is very difficult to work out what is happening behind the closed doors of the Kremlin, Mertens said. This applies both to Prigozhin’s psychology and the machinations of the Kremlin.
Source: read the full article by Ellie Cook in Newsweek
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