Russian ultranationalist military bloggers have renewed their complaints against the Russian Ministry of Defense for not holding the Russian military command accountable for military failures.
This is stated in an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The bloggers complained that the Russian Ministry of Defense is sending Russian generals to Syria "in exile", but the generals should not be held responsible for major failures on the battlefield, including the failed Russian offensive against Ugledar, Donetsk region, in the winter of 2022, which resulted in extremely high casualties; for the failed defense against the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region in the fall of 2022; and for the failed defense against the Ukrainian invasion of the Kursk region of August 2024.
One of the military bloggers complained about the failure of Russian air defenses to defend against Ukrainian drones and missile strikes deep into the Russian rear.
Another military blogger specifically criticized the Russian authorities for pursuing Major General Ivan Popov - whom the Russian authorities arrested in May 2024. on charges of fraud after Popov publicly criticized the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov - while other Russian generals remain at large.
The failures of the Russian command periodically provoke a backlash in the Russian ultranationalist information space, but to a lesser extent after the Kremlin's efforts in 2024. to encourage self-censorship among the military blogging community.
A resurgence of complaints specifically directed against the military command and citing Popov, whose arrest sparked strong backlash in that community.
On the night of January 20-21, Ukrainian forces carried out a series of drone strikes on Russian defense industrial enterprises and oil refineries in Russia as part of an ongoing series of strikes aimed at degrading Russian military capabilities.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces were also continuing to strike Russian command posts in the Russian rear.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation on January 21 and stressed the deepening of cooperation.
The recent appointment of the acting governor of Kursk Region Alexander Khinshtein has so far failed to solve the problem or divert attention from Russia's failure to adequately respond to Ukraine's invasion of Kursk Region.
Russian forces have recently advanced into Kursk Region and near Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, and Kurakhovo. Ukrainian forces have recently regained their lost positions near Pokrovsk.