New York times. Valery Gerasimov visited dangerous outposts in eastern Ukraine

According to the New York Times, Valery Gerasimov visited “dangerous front lines in eastern Ukraine in order to change the course of the Russian offensive” late last week. This was confirmed in an interview with the newspaper, two US officials and one Ukrainian.

TVN24.pl report: Russia’s attack on Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers learned of Gerasimov’s stay in Ukraine, but failed to capture him. On Saturday evening, Ukrainian forces launched an attack on one of the sites he visited in the Russian-controlled city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, but the chief of staff managed to leave for Russia.

“About 200 soldiers were killed in the fighting, including at least one general,” a Ukrainian official told the New York Times, asking not to be named.

Read: Ukrainian media: General Valery Gerasimov was wounded in Izyum

Two US officials, who also spoke anonymously to New York newspaper reporters, confirmed that General Gerasimov had been in eastern Ukraine for several days, but that they had no information about the attack on the Russian outpost at Izyum.

“The presence of such a high-ranking military man on the front lines is very unusual and takes place against the background of what Western military analysts call the growing unrest among Russian forces. Western officials and analysts say that even with a significant reduction in targets, the Russian military has been significantly reduced,” the New York Times wrote. He continues to face logistical and coordination problems between his forces, while at the same time encountering fierce and stubborn resistance from the Ukrainians.

“Izyum, a medium-sized city in eastern Ukraine, has become an operational base of the Russian army which is conducting an offensive to retake the two regions bordering Russia, Donbass. A successful capture of this region will be a consolation prize for the Kremlin after the shameful withdrawal of Russian forces from the region,” the American newspaper reported. surrounding the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, whose collapse Russian leaders predicted within days of the invasion.

The New York Times writes that General Valery Gerasimov sits to the right of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is, along with the president and defense minister, one of only three people who were responsible for planning the course of the war in Ukraine. From the beginning. “This rigid hierarchy that defines Russia’s military leadership is one reason why Western analysts say that Russians often seem unable to adapt quickly to changing conditions on the battlefield,” he added.