Ukraine war: Report claims Russia’s ‘gross failures’ are mounting pressure on Vladimir Putin

A bombshell report has claimed Russia has “until recently” swallowed Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine rhetoric and warns of dire consequences for the controversial leader.

Vladimir Putin believes the loss of 30,350 troops is a “price worth paying” despite new worries the Russian Army will collapse under the pressure of the ongoing Ukraine campaign.

A confidential document seen by top UK government officials has revealed the immense toll the war has taken on Russia’s forces as losses continue to mount.

New figures estimate Russia has lost 207 warplanes, 174 helicopters, 1349 tanks and 13 boats alongside the thousands of casualties.

The report, penned by a Russian military analyst, claims the nation has “until recently” swallowed Putin’s rhetoric over pursuing conflict in the region. With the war now entering its fourth month, expectations are higher than ever for the establishment to deliver its stated goals.

“Russia’s attempt to achieve a speedy and decisive victory in the Donbas has not yet succeeded. They are still grinding forward, gaining 1-2km a day,” the report, seen by The Mirror, reads.

“The Russians are now achieving what successes they have mostly by means of a slogging match with repeated, very costly, infantry attacks reminiscent of 1945 not 2022.”

The report criticises Russia’s information state and claims an attempt was made from within the Kremlin to inform Putin things were going “catastrophically wrong”. However, the President reportedly believes he can still achieve a “partial victory”.

“The gross failures of the campaign Putin has so far been able to hide quite well from the Russian public, or to blame on various officials, who have been arrested and replaced,” the report continued.

“The Russian population until recently bought Putin’s disinformation. We have seen an attempt within the Kremlin to get a message across to Putin and his closest team that things are going wrong, perhaps even catastrophically wrong.”

The report comes as reports of mutinies within the Russian military continue to filter through from the battlefield.

A confidential document seen by top UK government officials has revealed the immense toll the war has taken on Russia’s forces as losses continue to mount.

Russia analyst Bruce Jones says the tipping point for Russia’s military may come sooner than many expect.

“There has to be a point when Russian forces cannot take any more losses, a cut-off point,” he said.

“This would be a straw that broke the camel’s moment, where units would no longer be able to function as a fighting force because they are so depleted.

“It has happened before and on a small scale it is happening now – so this could become a reality.”

Reports of mutinies came as early as March when Russian troops rebelled against orders from high ranking military officials.

A Ukrainian newspaper reported marines in the 810th Brigade of Russia “rioted” against orders to begin their assault onto Luzanovsky beach, with relatives of troops confirming this.

As a result, the ship asked to leave the bay, unharmed.

Ukraine’s former Ambassador to Austria, Olexander Scherba, said that Russia was approaching the coast and “about to shell the beach” when they “suddenly withdrew”.

“They approached the coast. Russia was about to shell the beach. Ukraine, Ukrainian was about to shoot back when they suddenly withdrew.

“Reports that marines from Crimea refused to attack Odessa.”

Vladimir Putin reportedly believes he can still win a ‘partial victory’ as the conflict rolls into its fourth month.

The development came as Ukrainian forces counterattacked in the country’s south. Official military sources claimed to have pushed back Russian troops near three villages in the Kherson region.

President Volodymyr Zelensky walked the streets of the devastated Kharkiv region’s capital in a bulletproof vest while one-third of the northeastern region remains under Russian control.

“We will for sure liberate the entire area,” Zelensky said after the visit, also revealing he had fired the city’s security chief in a rare public rebuke.

Since failing to capture Kyiv in the war’s early stages, Russia’s army has narrowed its focus to eastern Ukraine, hammering cities with relentless artillery and missile barrages as it seeks to consolidate areas under its control.

But Ukrainian forces pushed back on the weekend, forcing Russian troops into “unfavourable positions” around the villages of Andriyivka, Lozovo and Bilohorka in Kherson, the country’s military leadership said in a statement.

New figures estimate Russia has lost 207 warplanes, 174 helicopters, 1349 tanks and 13 boats alongside thousands of casualties in Ukraine.

“Kherson, hold on. We’re close!” Ukraine’s general staff tweeted Sunday as their forces counterattacked in the only region of the country fully controlled by Russian troops.

Kherson, which borders Crimea, was taken by Russian forces in March and Moscow-backed officials in the region have recently pushed for annexation.

While limited in nature, the attack could have the effect of stretching Russian forces, with the general staff claiming the move had forced Moscow to send reserves to the area.

Zelensky, meanwhile, said Kharkiv’s security chief had been sacked “for not working to defend the city from the first days of the full-scale war, but thinking only of himself,” and that while others had toiled “very effectively”, the former chief had not.

Although the president did not name the official, Ukrainian media reports identified him as Roman Dudin, head of the Kharkiv region’s SBU security service.

Originally published as Ukraine war: Report claims Russia’s ‘gross failures’ are mounting pressure on Vladimir Putin