14 February 2023 , 09:32
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A fierce brigade of thousands of Russian fighters were “mowed down like turkeys on a shooting range” in one of the heaviest military losses since the start of the Ukraine invasion.
The unit, made up of 5,000 men, was practically wiped out during the latest attempt by warmonger Vladimir Putin to capture Vuhledar, Donetsk.
The humiliating defeat has led some military bloggers back home in Moscow to demand trials for the inept generals causing the defeats.
Igor Girkin said the Russian men were killed “like turkeys in a shooting range”, and added: “Some of them are complete cretins – all the mistakes that were made before were repeated.”
A Russian tank is destroyed by Ukrainian artillery (Newsflash)The defeat was caused by Ukrainian forces taking higher positions above their Russian enemies who had not anticipated the move, reported MailOnline.
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Military drones captured scenes of panic by Russian soldiers, with tanks veering wildly before being destroyed.
Men were seen on fire running in several directions.
Several Russian assaults on the hamlet have failed since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago.
Thousands of Russians were killed in the incident (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)It comes as 's notorious Wagner Group mercenaries are being ordered to scale down operations in amid fears they are becoming too powerful.
The 50,000-strong squad, many of them convicted criminals, have played a key role in brutal fighting in eastern Ukraine.
But founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has stopped recruiting prisoners and will draw down his troops in weeks, according to sources.
It is believed they will be replaced by regular soldiers among as many as 300,000 new troops heading to war.
Several Russian bloggers in Moscow have criticised the leaders of the war (Libkos/AP/REX/Shutterstock)The demotion of Wagner’s position in Ukraine was ordered after President became increasingly concerned about his own position.
Despite being so-called Putin allies both Prigozhin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov are becoming increasingly powerful in the region.
The pair, plus the recently demoted Russian General Sergey Surovikin, are all suspected possible plotters against Putin.
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The incident is the latest humiliation for Putin (SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)expert Bruce Jones told the Daily Mirror: “President Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin have been very close contacts and allies for decades.
“This appears to be a parting of the way after Prigozhin had been openly critical, even abusive to senior military figures in the regular forces. It is believed that by implication his criticism of the conduct of the regular forces and their commanders is a slight against Putin, who now sees him as a potential rival.”
Russia’s long-awaited spring offensive appears to have launched sooner than expected with massive missile attacks throughout Ukraine.