Putin has decided to take over the conduct of the war in Ukraine himself, according to US intelligence sources quoted by the New York Times.
His first move was to fire the general in charge of failing Russian logistics in Ukraine, replacing him with Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev. While the latter is nicknamed “the butcher of Mariupol”, Canada and other NATO countries have adopted sanctions against him for having committed “atrocities” in Ukraine and Syria.
Putin is reported to have rejected his generals’ demands to withdraw from the strategic city of Kherson, currently under attack by the Ukrainians. Kherson is the only regional capital under the control of Moscow.
Withdrawing from Kherson and retreating to the other bank of the Dnieper River would be another humiliating display of Russian military failures and another major victory for President Zelensky.
Hitler did the same in 1943 when he ordered German forces to remain in Stalingrad.
The Russian counter-offensive surrounded the Germans there, forcing their surrender: 91,000 were taken prisoner along with their commander, Field Marshal von Paulus. The tipping point of World War II.
Putin, warlord
Putin’s rejection of a withdrawal from Kherson undermines the morale of Russian troops, who fear being cut off from their supply lines by Ukrainian forces, as was the case with the Germans at Stalingrad.
Putin’s decision to take on the role of general-in-chief is creating tension within the Russian military high command and its allies.
Chechen potentate Ramzan Kadyrov said on television that Chechnya would not participate in the mobilization because it had already exceeded its troop contribution to the war by 254%. The defection of Kadyrov, one of the most vocal and aggressive supporters of the war, is another worrying sign for the Kremlin.
Maybe not so lucky
After the Stalingrad disaster, German officers attempted to assassinate Hitler in order to overthrow his government and make peace with the Allies.
On March 13, 1943, officer Henning von Tresckow asked an aide to Hitler to take a case of Cointreau cognac containing explosives on board his plane. The aircraft landed at its destination two hours later: the detonator had not exploded due, it seems, to the freezing cold of the baggage compartment.
On July 20, 1944, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate Hitler at his headquarters in East Prussia. The bomb was placed in a briefcase under the table where Hitler was presiding over the meeting. The explosion killed one participant and injured more than 20. Hitler suffered scratches, superficial burns and a perforated eardrum.