The Pentagon assures that some soldiers sent by Putin mutiny and even sabotage their own battle tanks. The invaders would be carrying expired combat food rations or obsolete weapons and communications equipment.
It is a fact that the initial impetuous advance of the Russian troops in Ukraine has slowed down. The shelling continues, but satellite images confirm that the 64-kilometre supply convoy that was moving toward Kiev on Tuesday is virtually at a standstill. Some analysts suggest that Vladimir Putin is holding back troop movements and bombings to give civilians time to flee the cities. Others, such as the Pentagon, believe that it is actually due to supply problems and low morale among the Russian ranks.
An informant from the US General Staff tells The New York Times that there is evidence of “lack of food in the Russian ranks.” This is confirmed by a video, whose veracity has been verified, in which it can be seen how Ukrainian militiamen find food rations expired in 2015, in a tank taken from the invading forces.
US intelligence also points to fuel shortages as an explanation for the number of abandoned combat vehicles. The morale of the troops sent by the Kremlin – in many cases young people just over 18 years old – would be so low that in some cases they choose to “sabotage their own vehicles so as not to advance”, according to the Pentagon.
The British intelligence agency ShadowBreak has footage of Russian soldiers abandoning their weapons and retreating. “They are completely messed up. They have no idea where they are going or how to talk to each other,” they say from this organization. This information links to the fact that the first prisoners taken by the Ukrainians carried analog radio stations, with obsolete and easy-to-intercept military communication technology.
Nor would the use of artillery from the past be helping Vladimir Putin’s plans come to fruition. The bombings are not being as precise as expected in part because the Russian fighters have used ammunition from the Soviet era, which forces the pilots to fly very low, that is, to be an easy target for the enemy. That would explain the large number of aircraft shot down by the Ukrainians.
The truth is that not even in the circle closest to Putin are they clear that the invasion is on the right track. This Wednesday Andrey Kortunov, senior adviser to the Kremlin, in statements to the Sky News chain described the invasion as “shameful.” “A lot of us are depressed,” he admitted.