Shoigu stepped down, Putin changed his commander on the spot, and the battlefield became tougher
On May 12, Putin made one of the most high-profile appointments since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, appointing a civilian economist as the new defense minister. This is the most important decision Putin has made to the military command, and it is also a major personnel adjustment that Putin has made in the military command since the special military operation. Shoigu is not a professional soldier, but he is Putin's most trusted person. Through public reports, it can be seen that Shoigu is often with Putin when he celebrates his birthday.
The 68-year-old Shoigu stepped down, but he took on a new position as secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. Shoigu has suffered a lot of criticism since the beginning of the special military operation, especially the rout in Kharkiv after a large retreat of the Russian army, and the failure of the attack on Kyiv. In the course of the fighting, Shoigu was also dissatisfied with the leader of the Wagner Group, Prigozhin, and was forced to resign at one point. Even though he was met with great criticism, Putin still chose to trust Shoigu. Prigozhin was killed in a bizarre plane crash, and Shoigu gradually turned the tide. The Russian army is currently taking the initiative on the battlefield.
However, when the Russian army controlled the situation on the battlefield and the offensive was going smoothly in all aspects, Shoigu stepped down. Although it is normal for Shoigu to step down at this time, such a decision has attracted a lot of attention at the special moment when the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has entered the most critical stage. Is the change of commander because Shoigu is no longer trustworthy? This should not be the case at the moment, since Shoigu took up a more high-status position and became a member of the cabinet. Shoigu was replaced by First Deputy Prime Minister Belousov, a decision that may be telling a lot. Belousov is the first deputy prime minister, and in order of position, he is higher than the post of defense minister.
But the fact that a deputy prime minister is the defense minister at a special moment also illustrates the crucial role of the defense minister in the current situation. Under the strict blockade imposed by the United States and the West, Belousov ensured the rapid transformation of the Russian economy and ensured that the Russian economy withstood the test, which should be an important reason for him to serve as defense minister. Putin's change of command is also due to the fact that Russia has now converted its economic development model to a wartime economic model.
Russia's military budget has grown from 3% to 6.7% of GDP, close to the 7.4% level of the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s. This percentage is very high, and Putin needs a minister who understands the economy to control it. Peskov said it was crucial to ensure that defense spending was in the overall interest of the country, which is why Putin now wants a civilian with an economic background to serve as defense minister. Peskov argued: "Whoever is more open to innovation will be able to win on the battlefield." ”
Putin's change of commander has also become tougher, and he even launched an onslaught on Kharkiv against the background of the Ukrainian army's unawareness. Why did Putin launch a greater onslaught and open up a new front in the context of the United States and the West increasing aid to Ukraine, the core of which is that Putin has become more hardened after understanding the situation in all aspects. Putin realizes that the United States today has reached a point where it has no bottom line. One thing after another for the United States to shake the foundation of the country, the next one will only be more outrageous, and the United States can only collapse under the bottomless political struggle. Putin sees the weakness of the United States and his own strength, and feels that Russia's resilience and solid fundamentals can ensure Russia's final victory.
50,000 troops, 1,400 chariots attacked in 4 ways, and Ukraine was caught off guard
Russia has suddenly launched an onslaught in Kharkiv, which Ukraine clearly did not expect. According to reports, Russia has invested 50,000 troops and 1,400 combat vehicles, including more than 400 tanks, more than 900 armored combat vehicles, and hundreds of artillery pieces. At the same time, a large number of drones and Russian bombers also participated in the war. The Russian onslaught was launched in the early hours of the morning, and it was a simultaneous onslaught by four troops. Against the background of the salvo of hundreds of artillery pieces of the Russian army, a large number of strong fortresses of the Ukrainian defense line were destroyed. What is even more surprising is that when the Russian army attacked fiercely, the Ukrainian army did not know what was happening. The Ukrainian army could not believe that all this was true.
The US military reconnaissance satellite has been tracking and monitoring the situation on the battlefield, but it is unaware of the Russian army's attack this time. Although Ukraine also has its own reconnaissance force, they did not find any signs of the Russian army's onslaught in Kharkiv beforehand. Until the Russian army launched the attack, Ukraine did not believe that the Russian army really launched an attack, and still naively thought that this was the Russian army's feint, and the real purpose was to attract the main force of the Ukrainian army, so as to achieve a greater victory in the Donbas direction. The Ukrainian army was caught off guard, and the Russian army quickly occupied a number of settlements in Kharkiv, destroyed a large number of outposts of the Ukrainian army, and captured hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers.
When it was realized that the Russian army really stormed Kharkiv, the Ukrainian army, which had previously organized a defense, could only retreat. According to reports, because it could not withstand the onslaught of the Russian army, the Ukrainian army was forced to choose to retreat and withdraw from part of the defense line. According to reports sent by front-line reporters, a large number of Ukrainian troops were stunned under the onslaught of the Russian army, leaving a large number of corpses in the embarrassment of retreat and escape. In the context of a very urgent situation, the Ukrainian army urgently mobilized two brigades of troops to reinforce and organized the main forces to counterattack the Russian army. But judging from the current situation, the effect of the Ukrainian army's counterattack is very average. Although the Russian army launched this onslaught very suddenly, it was well prepared.
The Russian army has given full play to the advantages of the reconnaissance system in advance, and has clearly marked the key points of the Ukrainian army's defense system, the artillery positions of the Ukrainian army in Kharkiv, etc. When the onslaught was launched in the early morning, the Russian army immediately carried out fierce bombardment of key targets of the Ukrainian army. While the fighters dropped a large number of bombs, the Russian army also carried out heavy shelling of the Ukrainian artillery positions and important fortifications. It is reported that the Russian army fired thousands of shells in one go. The scene on the battlefield is that artillery shells rained down on the positions of the Ukrainian army, the artillery positions of the Ukrainian army were destroyed, important fortifications were destroyed, and carefully constructed bunkers and pillboxes were destroyed. The Ukrainian army was beaten in disarray.
A new defense minister took office, and a full-scale offensive of the Russian army was launched. The new Minister of Defense has taken office, the offensive of the Russian army on multiple fronts has been launched, and the Ukrainian army can only retreat step by step. The Russian army began to cover the river crossing and landing, although it was only a real combat exercise, but it was also in preparation for a new river crossing attack. There is no doubt that the Russian army is currently preparing for a comprehensive reconquest of lost territory and recapture the territory lost in the Ukrainian counterattack. In the Donbas direction, the Russian army also broke through the Ukrainian defense line, and the offensive advanced smoothly. For Ukraine, the situation is really difficult now.