Surovikin Says Will Not Defend Kherson at All Costs
"We do not exclude making the most difficult decisions"
1. Surovikin’s televised address to the public was a welcome thing. It was much more level that the fanciful stuff the PR general Konashenkov emits into the ether, and far more revealing than the highly scripted Shoigu-Putin exchanges. Hopefully this becomes a regular thing and signals the end of the long-tabling of the Russian people.
2. Aside from being welcome, it is also probably necessary. If you are mobilizing the people then you also owe it something in return. Such as to put some truth on it as to what condition the front is really in.
3. Surovikin even touched on the ideological and political drive behind the war, on which he was succinct:
“Ukrainians and we are one people and we wish for Ukraine… to be a friendly state to Russia.”
That’s right. Nothing about “denazification” or “demilitarization”, just a ‘We’re one people, dammit!’
At the most fundamental — when all the pretenses for the low-IQ and the non-based are stripped away — the Kremlin’s SMO isn’t about biolabs, Donetsk, Kherson, Odessa, nazis, NATO rockets, Ukrainian shells, FSB roadside bombs, or the fanciful notion that Ukraine was about to commit national suicide and ground-attack Donbass. It isn’t about any of this small fry stuff. (Small fry to Kremlin.)
At the most fundamental, the SMO is about what Putin wrote in his revelatory 2021 essay — that Moscow has resolved that it will not live with an Anti-Russia being constructed out of a part of the Russian (Rus) people. In other words, it is about the entire Ukraine and its whole future.
4. The most immediately key part of the address was the part on Kherson. Surovikin said the situation was “difficult”, explained why, then said the first priority for him was preserving lives, including those of his men. And that in line with this priority he will not hesitate to make “the most difficult decisions” should the circumstances dictate it.
“Our future plans and actions regarding Kherson will depend on the situation at the time. In any case, we proceed from the need to maximize the preservation of the lives of the civilian population and the military. This is a priority for us. We will act consciously, at the right time, without excluding the most difficult decisions. “
That’s right. A different general (Zhukov, Grant) might have said his foremost priority was holding Kherson and that in light of that he will make any difficult decisions necessary.
Surovikin flipped this on its head and said that for him force preservation was primary and that he will make the tough calls to assure that.
In this context the meaning of “the most difficult decisions” Surovikin speaks of is clear — if things get really bad he will evacuate to the left-bank rather than allow his forces be cut off and lost.
Politically abandoning the right bank is extraordinarily iffy as it means losing the just-annexed regional capital. (The only regional capital Russia has captured in the entire war.) Technically speaking, it makes good sense. It’s a bad place for the Russians to be fighting in. They’re at a disadvantage since their supplies have to cross a river that is in HIMARS range. But more than that, with a mega river to their backs the stakes are just too high for them.
Just a short Ukrainian advance puts Ukrainian gun artillery in range of the bridges, and a longer advance threatens to cut off Russian retreat entirely.
The Russians have been obsessed with reinforcing Kherson (to the point of engineering a huge weakness in Kharkov that Ukrainians took advantage of) for very good reason. — Because failure here has the potential to cascade into a disaster that would make Kharkov look like a picnic. At least Kharkov had depth in the form of Lugansk that sparse Russian forces could flee to. But if the Kherson bridgehead ever had to fall back it would be doing so across only 2 bridges, that the Ukrainians would be shelling, and racing for themselves.
5. It’s funny how horrible Surovikin’s delivery was. He is really not used to this. Perhaps that’s why the actual content was relatively decent — the guy hasn’t been doing public relations for long enough to be absolutely 100% shameless.
6. Another humorous thing was how Surovikin took time to put in kind words about the Aerospace Forces, talking up the Su-57 and the number of sorties, etc.
“– The special operation confirmed the effectiveness of both aviation systems and air defense systems in service.
– Crews have completed more than 34,000 sorties. More than 7,000 guided weapons have been used.
– Newer Kinzhal hypersonic missiles have proven to be good and reliable. None of the enemy’s air defense systems can withstand this missile.
– It is especially necessary to highlight the fifth-generation multifunctional aircraft Su-57.”
The Russian air force has been a big disappointment of the war. Even Ukraine’s Soviet-era air defenses have been sufficient to make it a non-entity that is not influencing the war. However in 2017 Surovikin was named the top Aerospace Forces commander. So he can’t exactly say that, can he.
Russia named the Army general Surovikin to command the air force to improve cooperation between services. And to ensure that the air force didn’t forget about its ground-support role (as air forces love to do).
Hasn’t exactly worked out, albeit not necessarily Surovikin’s fault. (The Soviets simply built good air defenses, what are you gonna do?)
Good analysis. Thanks for sharing!
Putin works for the global cabal represented by the WEF
He was ordered by his globalist masters to invade Ukraine, so as to provide the globalist Western governments with the excuse to impose sanctions - the real purpose of which was to drive energy prices through the roof, so as to destroy the economies of the West (particularly Europe), to create such desperation that people will submit to the Great Reset global tyranny.
The globalists have Ukraine as a major money laundering centre - indeed, they are all making billions in their secret offshore bank accounts from US and Western 'aid': and thus, they have told Putin not to make further inroads into Ukraine, but instead to give the Ukrainians some victories to try to reverse increasing opposition among European people (not the politicians, of course) to the insanity of destroying Europe's industries, economies and living standards for the totally corrupt failed State which is Ukraine.
Putin's assigned job now is just to keep the war going - so that the globalists can implement their destruction of European economies and living standards (particularly - with the same on the schedule for the US once the mid-terms are over).
All the rest is just a piece of theatre for the suckers.