Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Chechnya, reacted to Russia’s loss of Lyman with a Telegram post full of harsh criticism of the commander of the Central Military District, Colonel General Alexander Lapin.
Lapin, Kadyrov wrote, led the defense of the area without providing troops “the necessary communications, coordination, and ammunition supplies.”
Kadyrov reminded his audience that in June Lapin was awarded the title of Hero of Russia for taking Lysychansk, although, according to Kadyrov “he was de facto not there or in the vicinity.” He also called Lapin a “talentless man,” who is “covered from above by the leaders of the General Staff.” The Chechen leader was broadly critical of the personnel policies of the Russian Ministry of Defense (he used the word “nepotism”) and also expressed displeasure about the course of events in the combat zone.
“In my personal opinion, we need to take more serious measures, to the point of declaring martial law in the occupied territories and using low-yield nuclear weapons,” said Kadyrov, adding that “it’s not necessary to make every decision with an eye on Western-American society – it has already said and done a lot against us.”
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