Western attention is generally focused on criticism of the war in Ukraine by Russians, who oppose the war. As the majority of Russia's citizens support the war, it is important to consider the criticism coming from the opposite direction namely by those who believe that the war is not being prosecuted strenuously enough and that it is high time to drop the pretense of a special operation and declare a full-fledged war complete with mobilization.
One influential proponent of this view is the Chairman of the Rodina party, and First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Defense Committee Aleksey Zhuravlev.
The legislator said "In my opinion, we need to stop playing at a special operation, and wage a full-scale war with the Ukrainian Nazi state." After all, he explained
Ukraine and all of Europe do not conceal the fact that they are waging a full-scale war against Russia "And we are conducting a special operation."
Zhuravlev also complained that the special operation would take years, and this played exactly into the Americans' hands. He dismissed the experts, who argued that a protracted conflict was damaging the US economy, and the Americans would quickly lose heart. "They profited from the war during the First World War and the Second World War." Therefore, Russia "should not play according to the US plan," but should ramp up the fighting. [1]
Aleksey Zhuravlev (Source: Newtambov.ru)
The pro-Kremlin commentator Gevorg Mirzayan published a reply to those criticizing the slow pace of the Russian advance. He claims, like the Kremlin, that the war is going more or less according to plan. The seemingly moderate pace is dictated by two prime considerations: The desire to diminish Russian losses, and the desire to minimize collateral damage to the Ukrainian population. The latter policy is consonant with the humane Russian military doctrine as opposed to America's savage military policy. Additionally, it avoids alienating the civilian population, who to a large extent will soon be incorporated into Russia.
Mirzayan's op.ed follows below:[2]
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Gevorg Mirzayan (Source: Lv.sputniknews.ru)
"Russian forces are besieging Severodonetsk, advancing in the direction of Gorsky and Izyum, while bypassing the Avdeevsk fortification. But let’s be honest, in June of 2022, many Russians would prefer to hear slightly different words.
"'Russian forces are assaulting Odessa, advancing towards Zhitomir and in the direction of Krivoy Rog, while bypassing the Kyiv stronghold.,' these locations would have been soothing to the ear, rather than 'some towns' that were unknown to a majority of Russians prior to the launch of SMO [Special Military Operation]. It’s not the capture of Kamyshevakha (even if it’s the Velikaya [Great]), but the liberation of the less than great Dnepropetrovsk that many people awaited and on an immediate basis.
"And now those people, disillusioned with their own fantasies are beginning to say that the Russian troops are advancing too slowly (with all the attendant conclusions). For instance, [they argue] that the conflict may end in another Khasavyurt [meaning the Khasavyurt Accord that ended the First Chechen War leaving Chechnya independent], or that the Russian military is extremely indecisive and unprepared to march to the victorious conclusion. Naturally these “worms of doubt” are being intensively fed by Western and Ukrainian propaganda, which tells the citizens of Russia and Ukraine that it’s high time for Moscow to think about how to get out of the situation with minimal losses.
"But why is the opinion of experts (not only Russian, but also American ones) in stark contrast with foreign propaganda? Why do they evaluate Ukraine’s chances of winning the special operation with extreme skepticism and advise Kyiv to seek settlement with Moscow on any of Putin’s terms? Why do they believe that Ukraine should renounce its sovereignty over at least the DPR [Donetsk People's Republic, the LPR [Luhansk People's Republic] and Crimea?
"The opinions differ precisely because military and political experts, unlike propagandists, understand the fact that the Russian operation is proceeding almost as it should. True, the SMO may have some shortcomings, but all these issues are being addressed, which allows for upping the tempo and effectiveness of combat operations. On the whole, the SMO develops according to the only possible path that will lead it to success, i.e., the depletion of Ukrainian manpower, followed by the liberation of the territory of Ukraine piece by piece. This is how the “Anti-Russia” project is being dismantled with minimal casualties and maximal effectiveness.
"The Price of Fantasy
"The Kremlin ascribes the slow pace of the operation to its desire to save as many civilian lives as possible (referring to the population of the liberated territories.) That is why the Russian army is trying not to use heavy artillery on cities, or on residential buildings, where Ukrainian soldiers are waiting taking cover behind local residents.
"There’s not only a humanitarian rationale but also raison d'état. The thing is that Russia doesn’t occupy foreign territories with a foreign population (which in contrast the US did in Iraq and Afghanistan, when they leveled the local cities to the ground without sentiments for the alien Arabs or Pashtuns). Russia is liberating its territories, with their partially zombified but still Russian population.
"After the SMO it will be necessary to integrate these territories and these people back into the Russian space. Integration means their mental liberation namely a set of economic, educational, social, and other measures. It will be a much more difficult task than the physical liberation. Thus, the less relatives and loved ones [of such people] suffer during the special operation, the less their homes will be destroyed, the easier integration will be.
"However, integration issues are only one reason accounting for the slow progress of the operation. Another reason is the need to save personnel. Many military correspondents and experts claim that the forces of Russia and of the LDPR are even numerically inferior to the ZSU forces deployed at the front. All because Ukraine has conducted several waves of mobilization, while Russia has not. Without the mobilization in Russia, one cannot speak of any mass and simultaneous waves of offensive in the south and east.
"And now the question for those who wish to see these waves [of mobilized personnel], what price are you willing to pay for your fantasies to be realized? After all, as one can ascertain by the example of the very same Ukrainian army, the involvement of conscripts in combat operations leads to a sharp increase in losses. Are the Russian turbo-patriots nominally ready to see the capture of Kharkov in a month at the cost of heavy casualties? So, in this fashion it’s certainly, possible to drastically accelerate the operation. However, this could lead to a sharp increase in casualties both on the part of our military and on the part of our future fellow citizens [i.e. those currently Ukrainian citizens].
"Therefore, to paraphrase comrade Saakhov [the heavy in the 1967 Soviet comedy the The Prisoner of the Caucasus], “there is no need to hurry here.” It’s important to ‘cure’ Ukraine and return 'a full-fledged human being' [also referencing the Soviet movie] to Russian society. It should be done with minimal sacrifice on the part of society itself."
