Putin is rumored to be firing Russian officials to the Kremlin, blaming the delayed invasion of Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin provides assessments during his discussion with Russian Security Council personnel. Image Credit

Rumors are circulating that President Vladimir Putin, furious by military losses in Ukraine, has initiated a purge of several of Russia's top powerful officials.

According to Ukrainian media, Putin sacked Roman Gavrilov, the deputy chief of the Russian national guard, on Thursday.

Rosgvardia had been deployed alongside the regular force into Ukraine and suffered huge losses when Ukraine responded with an unexpected attack.

Christo Grozev, the outlet Bellingcat's top Russia investigator, said three sources verified the sacking to him.

Meanwhile, the Russian newspaper Kommersant stated that Gavrilov had resigned.

Заместитель директора Росгвардии Роман Гаврилов уходит в отставку. Соответствующий рапорт об увольнении по выслуге лет генерал-лейтенант написал в разгар спецоперации на Украине, где его подчиненные принимают самое активное участие.https://t.co/MqMYxsuhKJ

— Коммерсантъ (@kommersant) March 17, 2022

According to one source, Gavrilov was detained by the FSB's military counter-intelligence section for "leaks of military information that resulted in the loss of life," while two others claim it was for "wasteful squandering of fuel."

Because of Russia's tendency for secrecy, the steep costs of speaking out of turn, and Russia's lengthy battle to crush its independent media, details of top-level changes in the Kremlin are difficult to establish. 

However, what is visible shows that all is not well in Putin's inner circle?

There were rumors, previous to Gavrilov's resignation, that other senior military and intelligence personnel had faced Putin's anger over the invasion.

Last week, Andrei Soldatov, a Russian journalist and expert on Russian security services based in Moscow, tweeted that Putin had punished two senior FSB officials for intelligence failures in Ukraine.

According to Soldatov, Putin has arrested Russia's head of foreign intelligence, Sergei Beseda, as well as Beseda's deputy.

The FSB holds a special place in Putin's heart: before becoming Russian president, he ran the agency and worked for its predecessor, the Soviet KGB.

Three independent sources report that the deputy chief of Russia's Rosgvardia (a unit of RU's interior army which has had tremendous losses in Ukraine), Gen. Roman Gavrilov has been detained by FSB. Gavrilov had also previously worked in FSO, Putin's security service.

— Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) March 17, 2022

The president of Ukraine's security council revealed last week that Putin had sacked eight generals in response to the invasion. Four more have been killed in the Ukraine conflict.

Although the Kremlin has not revealed any internal retaliation, Putin has spoken widely about ridding Russian society of traitors. 

Putin condemned "fifth columnists" and claimed Russia needs to be cleansed in a frightening speech on Monday.

Experts told Yahoo News that the speech was reminiscent of Josef Stalin's "purges" of the Soviet Union in the 1930s, which included show trials, executions, and mass detentions.

Former senior British military intelligence officer Philip Ingram told Insider that the claims of top officials' punishment appeared credible, but he warned that Russia has a history of making false stories for its own benefit.

"It's all about using the information to try to throw people off the scent with different things, and it's ingrained in everything that they do," he explained.

Ingram agreed that officials should face consequences for what happened in Ukraine. "Russia is failing militarily and spectacularly at the moment," he remarked.

While Gavrilov's firing could be attributed to operational flaws in Ukraine, where Russian advances have been slowed by logistical and planning issues.

He suggested that the punishment of FSB officials could be the result of intelligence agencies giving Putin an unduly enthusiastic appraisal of Russia's ability to beat Ukraine.

"They failed at the outset by not providing him a true sense of the might of the Ukrainian armed forces and their will to protect their motherland," Ingram said.

"His military troops, on the other hand, have been spreading misinformation by claiming to be better than they are. As a result, it's virtually a perfect storm for him."

After the conflict in Kharkiv, Ukraine, a Russian armored personnel carrier burns among damaged and abandoned light utility vehicles. Image Credit: AP Photo/Marienko Andrew

As a result of these flaws, the Russian military has made only shaky progress in its invasion of Ukraine.

Units have been slowed and suffered heavy casualties as a result of ambushes by Ukrainian armed forces, and no major city has yet been seized. According to US intelligence authorities, around 7,000 Russian troops have been killed so far, including top officers, according to The New York Times this week.

In order to overcome the Ukrainian resistance, the Russian military has utilized increasingly ruthless tactics, particularly in the besieged city of Mariupol. Russian forces have begun attacks on hospitals, civilian bomb shelters, and convoys of people who are fleeing the conflict.

According to Ingram, the firings might be interpreted as a "win at any cost" signal to Russian military leaders in Ukraine, resulting in rising violence as commanders seek to avoid the fate of their predecessors.

"He's delivering a clear message that this general has failed. And it sends a powerful message to the next leader, saying, "You need to get this right," which sadly leads to more violence on the ground "Ingram stated.

"We're likely to witness a redoubling of strikes against populated areas, as well as a probable expansion of operations outside of the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine."

Source: Businessinsider.