Journalist Dmitry Kolesev July 6 published An interview with a man he described as an active general in the Russian army who participated in the war with Ukraine. Kolesev stressed that for the safety of his hero, he cannot reveal his name, rank, or details of his biography, although he himself knows them. Meduza narrated the main points of this interview and collected reactions to it. The main topic of discussion is whether the unknown military commander can be trusted.
What the General said (as briefly as possible)
This is not a collection of exact quotes. We may paraphrase, abbreviate, or rearrange the speaker’s utterances to give coherence to the text, but we retain their meaning.
There is stagnation in the front. Donbass can be captured if the manpower of the Russian army is several times greater than the number of enemy drones. To do this, you need to recruit at least 55-60 thousand people per month into the army. Now that’s unreal. The report on the situation at the front, which Putin read from the commander, was exaggerated by about two times. It is intended for Trump so that he does not lose interest in the negotiations. Putin realizes that the military establishment is lying to him, but he is happy to be deceived. Why is the air defense system absent from Ukrainian strikes? Inefficiency. When the Ministry of Defense says it shot down 400 targets, consider that there were at least a thousand and a half of them. Can Russia catch up with Ukraine in the drone race? By quantity, not by quality (this is the main thing). How to lift the blockade of Crimea? Now there is no way: the General Staff is focused on Donbass, and Crimea is not a priority. What can the Kremlin do to regain its advantage in the war? A nuclear strike is a fantasy, but a new mobilization is entirely possible. It is extremely unlikely that Putin will negotiate with Ukraine on terms that are unfavorable to him. But we have to come to an agreement: soon we will face another wave of demographic problems, and it will become impossible to recover the losses even at the current level. There are still six months to a year to make decisions. And it will get worse.
How did you manage to get this interview?
Journalist Alexander Plyushchev who Invited Discussing the interview on the YouTube channel “The Breakfast Show”, Dmitry Kolesev emphasized that during the entire period of total war, not a single senior Russian military commander communicated with the independent press.
In a conversation with Plyushchev, Kolesev mentioned that although he now lives in Portugal, he continues to maintain communication with his sources in Russia. One of these people suggested that he call the General. He allegedly wanted to narrate “some circumstances of an episode of the war.” As a result, Kolesev decided to postpone the publication of this episode, but published his interlocutors’ assessments on a wide range of war-related topics.
According to Kolesev, he himself is confident in the identity of the general, but for his own safety, he cannot provide evidence to the public. “There are approximately 1,500 generals in the Russian army. You can determine the source by narrowing the search to some details, if the FSB is involved in this matter.” [или] “Military counterintelligence. I have nothing to offer as evidence, because that would point to the source. Basically, you can only trust my reputation and the assessment this person gives,” Kolesev explained.
Can “The General” be trusted?
Most of the interview discussions revolved around this question. So says blogger Michael Nacki booksHe trusts Kolesev, but he could be used for a “controlled leak” of information useful for Russian propaganda. However, Nucky noted that he read the interview with interest: “For me [самым] What is important is the extent to which Putin understands the real situation on the front, as well as the escalation options being considered. What was missing was what the “general” knew and what he guessed. Without knowing his area of responsibility, it is impossible to understand the amount of analysis and the amount of information.”
Another part of the audience (judging by comments on Kolezev’s YouTube channel) was confused by a quote from an interview about Harry Potter. “No one has any super weapon, or magical Harry Potter-style armor,” Kolesev’s interlocutor said, explaining why Russian air defense allowed Ukrainian drones to pass through. Some users questioned the Russian general’s ability to use such an analogy. But on the air with Plyushchev, Kolesev said that he gave a written interview and that his interviewer himself referred to Harry Potter.
“All living people, everyone has some kind of everyday life, children, grandchildren, films, and this is not always Soviet national cinema. Well, besides, there is a signal here at the simplest level: Harry Potter is something about magic. It seems to me that at this level, plus or minus, anyone can make such a signal,” the journalist said.
However, for the writer and researcher of propaganda Z, Ivan Filippov, the language of the “General” is unusual Didn’t show up – As well as his desire to maintain maximum anonymity. This did not bother the journalist and coordinator of the “Journalist Profession” award, Natalia Gevorkyan. “I conduct such interviews very calmly, that is, without excessive suspicion and suspicion, especially if they are conducted by a trustworthy journalist. The general speaks with complete clarity and intelligence, which confuses many. I know such generals, and it does not bother me. If some other unknown people (not necessarily military) follow the general, which is quite possible and happens very often, it will be interesting. Apparently, the time has come.” books She’s on Facebook.
Comment from the “Analysis” section.
There are no hints in the text of the interview about the position held by the “General” (and thus his competencies and the information he possesses).
No army commander can have deep knowledge of the situation in individual sectors of the front, the strategy and theory of victory, the organization of air defense, etc. This, of course, does not prevent him from having an opinion on all the issues mentioned.
It is clear that this opinion reflects the general’s lack of confidence in his superiors. Many officers of the Russian army have a similar attitude towards the command (judging by the leaks of personal correspondence and statements of “military correspondents” who have close ties with the headquarters and broadcast the opinions of the commanders).
In the army, many do not understand the strategy of the military and political authorities and consider the resources and methods by which the war is fought inadequate.
Cover photo: Alexei Konovalov / TASS / Profimedia