russia’s defense minister side-lined due to no success in war – British Intelligence

The reputation of russia's defense minister sergei shoigu among the soldiers and officers of the russian army is superficial.

The UK's Ministry of Defense reported this on Twitter, citing intelligence data.

"Recent independent Russian media reports have claimed that due to the problems Russia is facing in its war against Ukraine, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is now being side-lined within the Russian leadership, with operational commanders briefing President Putin directly on the course of the war," the ministry said.

The British intelligence report emphasized that sergei shoigu, who spent most of his career in the construction sector and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, has long been unable to overcome the reputation of a person who has no military experience.

"Russian officers and soldiers with first-hand experience of the war probably routinely ridicule Shoigu for his ineffectual and out-of-touch leadership as Russian progress has stalled," the report added.

Earlier, British intelligence reported that russia continued to fire senior commanders who had performed poorly during the opening stages of its invasion of Ukraine.

"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 setbacks.

This will likely place a 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 report said.

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