On October 1, the head of Russia’s Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, commented on the recent developments around Krasny Liman:
I have always said: there is nothing better than the truth, however bitter and hurtful it may be, but the truth. It’s the only way to move forward. That is why I cannot keep silent about what happened in Krasny Liman.
- The commander of the Central Military District Colonel-General Alexander Lapin was in charge of defense of this area. The same Lapin, who received the star of Hero of Russia for the capture of Lisichansk, although de facto he wasn’t actually there. Lapin was also subordinated to the troops of the Western Military District.
- The Colonel-General (the three-star general) deployed mobilized fighters from the LPR and other units at all the Liman direction, but did not provide them with the necessary communication, interaction and ammunition supply. Two weeks ago I was personally informed by Major-General Apty Alaudinov, commander of the “Akhmat” special forces, that our fighters might become easy targets. In turn, I informed Valery Gerasimov, head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, of the danger. But the general assured me that he did not doubt Lapin’s military talent and did not think that a retreat in Krasny Liman and its environs was possible.
- A week later, Lapin moves his headquarters to Starobelsk, a hundred kilometers away from his subordinates, while he himself sits in Lugansk. How is it possible to promptly manage units 150 kilometers away? Because of the absence of elementary military logistics today, we have abandoned several settlements and a large area of territory.
It is not that Lapin is talentless that is a shame. It’s the fact that he is covered up by his superiors in the General Staff. If I had my way, I would have demoted Lapin to private, would have deprived him of his rewards and would have sent him to the front line to wash his shame in blood.
- Army nepotism doesn’t do any good. The army must appoint commanders who are tough, courageous and principled, who care about their men, who fight for their soldiers and know that their subordinates must not be left without help and support. There is no place for nepotism in the army, especially in difficult times.
- Didn’t we have enough Raisins? Even back then I said: fire at the enemy’s military accumulation in Izyum, captured by the fascists, especially since our artillery had such an opportunity at that time. At once we would finish off the main satanists and fascists. We have to carry out the SSO in the full sense of the word, not to flirt with it. Use every opportunity and every weapon to defend OUR territory. Donetsk is still being shelled. The residents of the 4 annexed territories want to be protected.
I do not know what the Defense Ministry reports to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, but in my personal opinion, we need to take more drastic measures, up to declaring martial law in the border territories and using low-power nuclear weapons. There is no need to take every decision with the Western American community in mind – they have already said and done a lot against us.
Yesterday a parade in Izyum, today a flag in Liman, and tomorrow what?
Everything would be fine if it wasn’t so bad.
Commentary by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner PMC to Ramazan Kadyrov’s statement:
- “Kadyrov’s expressive statement, of course, is not my style at all. But I can say: ‘Ramzan, a tough boy, burn! All these bastards should go to the front barefoot and with rifles.”
- It should be noted that there are at least 3 people in the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense, who, by virtue of their positions, bear full personal responsibility for the events in the Kharkiv Region and around Krasny Liman. These are Colonel General Lapin, Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov, Minister of Defense Army General Sergei Shoigu.
UPDATE: A summary of comments about the situation from persons that had contacts with Colonel General Lapin:
All the conclusions of the emotional text of the head of Chechnya are based on incorrect information: General Lapin did not command the defense of this area and did not sit out in the rear.
It is wrong to blame the retreat in the Kharkov region on the general, who did not lead the defense of this sector. He was deployed there with a small part of his troops as reinforcements in the last attempt to correct the most difficult situation on the front.
Alexander Lapin has never remained in the rear only. Everyone who has ever encountered him can confirm this. In Syria or in Ukraine, where almost all the fighters of the “O” group know this. This is probably the only group commander who has been in the battle formations of his troops since the beginning of the operation. Therefore, the statement that Lapin sit in Lugansk is not true.
Of course, it is necessary to look for the guilty side. However, it is a gross mistake to blame for everything the commander, whose area of responsibility was a completely different sector of the front. In the end, this will not allow to draw right conclusions.
Source: SOUTHFRONT