There was no need to lose 300 men in an "incomprehensible" offensive. That is the complaint of an elite unit of the Russian Army that is fighting in Ukraine. In a letter sent to the regional governor of Primorsky Krai (Russian Far East), they blame their superiors for the painful defeat suffered.
The letter began to circulate this Sunday in pro-Russian Telegram groups, supporters of the military campaign against Ukraine.
Russian forces launched an offensive on the Ukrainian garrison of Pavlivka, southwest of Donetsk, on Nov. 2 with the intention of controlling an important supply route, Ukrainian military and Russian officials said.
Four days later, the 155th Brigade of Marine Infantry Guards, belonging to the Russian Pacific Fleet, blamed their military commanders for the failure of the operation and the loss of 300 men in a letter addressed to Oleg Kozhemiako, governor of Primorye, whose capital is Vladivostok.
According to several pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, the Russian military speaks of high and "useless" losses of people and equipment.
They estimate the losses suffered by Russian troops in this offensive at "about 300 people killed, wounded and missing" in a few days.
The authors of the letter ask the governor to address the Ministry of Defense and request the creation of a commission to investigate what happened.
Kozhemiako ordered this Monday, November 7, to verify the information that appeared on social networks about the losses of the 155th brigade, according to the Primorye Government in a message on its Telegram account. The governor does not rule out that it is "disinformation on the part of the enemy: the Ukrainian security services."
The well-known Russian state television war correspondent Alexander Sladkov has confirmed the existence of the letter on his networks, although he does not quote it.
Other Telegram channels, such as Gray Zone or the blogger Anastasia Kashevarova, do reproduce it. "We were thrown into an incomprehensible offensive," say the authors.
The names of the two generals are also cited who, according to the authors of the letter, would be guilty of a situation created by them to "earn points" before the chief of the Russian Army General Staff, Valeri Gerasimov. "How long do people as foolish as (generals) Muradov and Akhmedov plan to fight for their reports and receive rewards at the cost of so many people's lives?" they rhetorically ask the governor. And he ends: "How long can this be tolerated!"
At the end of March, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the title of "guards" to the 155th Marine Brigade "for the great heroism and courage, endurance and courage shown by the brigade's personnel in the combat operations to protect the homeland and state interests in the conditions of armed conflict".
