Russia has lost initiative on battlefield - UK Ministry of Defense

Russian officers increasingly seek to defer key decisions to their superiors in order to avoid personal responsibility for the Russian army's failures on the battlefield, so it will be difficult for Russia to regain the initiative under these conditions.

According to Ukrinform, the UK Ministry of Defense said this on Twitter.

"Russian Chief of the General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov likely remains in post, but it is unclear whether he retains the confidence of President Putin. A culture of cover-ups and scape-goating is probably prevalent within the Russian military and security system. Many officials involved in the invasion of Ukraine will likely be increasingly distracted by efforts to avoid personal culpability for Russia’s operational set-backs," the ministry said.

It added that this will likely place further strain on Russia's centralized model of command and control, as officers increasingly seek to defer key decisions to their superiors.

"It will be difficult for Russia to regain the initiative under these conditions," the ministry said.

According to the report, in recent weeks, Russia has fired senior commanders who are considered to have performed poorly during the opening stages of its invasion of Ukraine.

As reported, on February 24, Russia launched a new phase of the eight-year war against Ukraine - a full-scale offensive. The enemy is shelling and bombing Ukrainian cities, towns and villages. Large-scale sanctions were imposed on Russia after the war started.