Putin said that some frontline commanders were eager for battle and did not follow his orders.
In a previously undisclosed documentary clip released today by Russia's state television reporter Pavel Zarubin, the Russian president stated in "Russia Kremlin Putin 25 Years" that despite significant losses and his orders, Russian soldiers still desired to carry out combat missions.
Putin mentioned that he had directly ordered the commander of a division, in his capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, not to launch an attack on Ukrainian forces. However, the military proceeded with the combat mission. The Russian president did not specify the exact time when this incident occurred, but he added that there were certain circumstances at the front line at that time, including poor weather conditions, which made it impossible to conduct military operations without casualties.
"The Chief of General Staff and I directly instructed this division commander not to execute the combat plan. But they still began to carry out this task, albeit with slight differences in approach."
On May 11, Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The first round of talks was held on May 16, with delegations from Russia and Ukraine meeting in Istanbul. Both sides reached an agreement to exchange prisoners of war according to the "1000 against 1000" scheme.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that after completing a large-scale prisoner exchange with Ukraine, Moscow would submit a document to Kyiv outlining the terms of a "sustainable, long-term, comprehensive" agreement to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833101589756940/
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