Putin rejected the request of his commanders for the withdrawal of troops from Kherson to the left bank of the Dnieper, as this would be a humiliating public defeat for him.

Russian President  Vladimir Putin refused to withdraw troops from the Kherson region, despite the requests of the commanders, and personally engaged in strategic planning for the war against Ukraine.

This is reported by  The New York Times  , citing US officials.

In particular, according to them, Putin rejected the request of his commanders to withdraw troops from Kherson to the left bank of the Dnieper, as this would be a humiliating public defeat for him. Putin is focused on winning at all costs and tells commanders that strategic decisions on the ground must be made by him personally. 

While Putin accepted some of the military’s recommendations, including mobilization, his involvement in the decision-making has created tensions, US officials said. Putin’s opposition to the withdrawal of troops from Kherson led to a decline in morale among the Russian military, who were cut off from supplies. 

In addition to blocking a retreat from Kherson, Putin has questioned efforts to bolster the occupying forces’ defenses on the left bank of the Oskol River in Kharkiv Oblast – he opposes a retreat there as he doesn’t want to give President Volodymyr Zelensky anything that looks like a victory. 

US officials say Russian officers are divided over how to respond to Ukraine’s counteroffensive, with some saying Putin’s directives should be resisted and others saying the Kremlin’s orders can be followed. 

(C)UNIAN 2022