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By John Feng and Brendan Cole
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Russian military commanders in Ukraine are lying about their successes, leaving their troops vulnerable to attacks by Kyiv's forces, according to reports.
Pro-Moscow military bloggers have pinned Russian setbacks in the Donetsk regional city of Toretsk on commanders faking successes to curry favor with the military and political leadership and earn bonuses.
According to the bloggers, the mistruths have likely resulted in Russian troops attacking defended positions without adequate artillery or air support and have cost thousands of Russian lives. The reports follow those of Ukrainian gains in Toretsk where fighting continues in the city center and the complete encirclement of Russian occupiers in several areas.
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Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
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Why It Matters
In the three years of war, there have been a number of reports of low morale among Russian soldiers, amid complaints of a lack of training, equipment and poor command.
Russian military bloggers often give a far more honest view of Moscow's battlefield fortunes than state media. Their reports that Russian commanders are faking successes could play into Ukraine's hands as they seek to wrest back the battlefield initiative.
What To Know
Military analysis X channel ChrisO_wiki noted complaints by pro-Moscow Telegram channels about Russian commanders lying about their successes.
In a thread on Monday, the account said that recent Russian setbacks in Toretsk, in the Donetsk region, are being blamed on this phenomenon which has been a regular occurrence throughout the three-year war.
This "taking on credit" has likely cost thousands of Russian lives as troops attack defended positions without artillery or air support, the post said.
Russians appear to have prematurely declared victory in Toretsk which they have renamed as Dzerzhinsk after the founder of the Soviet secret police, Felix Dzerzhinsky.
But the Rybar Telegram channel said despite Russian forces' claims to have taken the city in Donetsk in early February, commanders were making the report to the top to curry favor with the military and political leadership.
But, according to reports, Ukrainian forces still had the upper hand in air control thanks to reconnaissance drones with bombs, as well as FPV (first person view) drones, which have allowed Kyiv to cut off Russian communications.
This meant that Ukrainian forces could not just hold certain points in the city but also conduct occasional troop rotations, the channel said.
Another Telegram channel, Yuriy Podalyaka had posted how despite Russia's claims of success in Toretsk, it had more troops there and while Moscow has managed to block Kyiv's attacks, it may require additional troop backup to be deployed.
What People Are Saying
Chris O'Wiki X account: "Recent Russian setbacks in the Ukrainian city of Toretsk are being blamed by Russian warbloggers on a familiar problem—commanders lying about their successes and taking the city 'on credit' rather than in real life."
Institute for the Study of War: "Geolocated footage published on March 1 and 2 indicates that Ukrainian forces advanced within northern and central Toretsk."
What Happens Next
In its assessment on Sunday, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Ukrainian forces had made advances within northern and central Toretsk over the weekend, while Russian forces continued ground attacks to the west and north of the city.
The think tank has reported that Russia is transferring elements of the 20th and 150th motorized rifle divisions to the Toretsk direction, likely for offensive efforts in Spring-Summer this year bit and some of these Russian forces may have to defend against Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in the city of Toretsk instead.
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