Washington-based think tank Institute of Study of War (ISW) reported that Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, gave Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defense Minister, a deadline until early October to put an end to the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
In an assessment, ISW wrote quoting a Kremlin insider source that “Putin reportedly gave Shoigu a deadline of a month until early October to enhance the situation on the frontlines, stop Ukraine’s counter-offensive, and have Russian forces retrieve the initiative to launch an offensive operation against a bigger city.”
This may “reveal that Russia’s military command may be ordering persistent counteroffensives in hopes of causing the Ukrainian counteroffensive to an end, even at a high cost to Russian military capabilities.”
ISW emphasized instances in which the Russian Ministry of Defense “worrying the imminent loss of Putin’s favor, strengthened its measures to purge commanders who showed honest but negative views and advice and sought unachievable military purposes at the cost of Russian forces.”
It added, “The Russian resistance to ceding ground may… be tied to Russian military commanders’ and officials’ attempts to use the counter-attack to reach political objectives, or it could result from Putin’s micromanagement.”
