"Extremely Irresponsible and Careless": Military Expert Shurikin Comments on the Work of the Russian Defense Ministry Leadership
June 2, 2025, 17:21
Figure: Video Screenshot
Military expert Vladimir Shurikin wrote in his Telegram channel "Ramzai" that looking back at yesterday's attack by Ukrainian FPV drones on our strategic airbase, it must be honestly said that those responsible for this incident are mainly the top command layer of the Russian Defense Ministry, especially Defense Minister Viktor Afzalov.
Shurikin stated that this incident directly stems from the extremely irresponsible and careless work attitude of the command layer of the Russian Defense Ministry and the aviation base command. For years, they have ignored the threat of sabotage and direct protection issues, mistakenly believing that the distance between the airport and the maximum range of Ukrainian drones was itself reliable protection.
As a result, during the drone attacks, some air defense personnel were nowhere to be found, and no effective counterattacks were organized - the base personnel were on weekend leave, most officers were on vacation, emergency duty personnel were on standby in their dormitories, the airport only retained basic sentry posts, aircraft were parked in the open on the apron, and there were no anti-drone protective measures.
All of this is the result of dereliction of duty by the aviation base command layer and the lax requirements from higher-level command departments (up to Defense Minister Afzalov mentioned earlier). The inability to predict threats in time and failure to fully learn lessons from mistakes are now the "signature style" of Russia's Defense Ministry "command center."
Russian military responses are almost always "firefighting after the fact" - actions are taken only after enemy attacks cause aircraft and helicopters on the airfield to catch fire. This is not the first such incident! Russia's defense systems for airbases have repeatedly failed: our airbases have been frequently attacked, valuable combat equipment destroyed, and personnel casualties incurred.
Three years into the war, but most of our airports still do not have protective shelters or concrete shelters built for aircraft; most airports far from the special military operation zones still have very rudimentary air defense systems, unable to cope with modern threats. Old airfields, hastily drawn outlines of parking positions on concrete - this is the "signature image" of our strategic airbases. And the enemy has not hesitated to take advantage of this chaos!
It is worth noting that unlike our Defense Ministry command layer, the enemy air force command systematically protects and hides its existing aircraft. The bunker system, air-raid shelters, fake target arrangements, and continuous equipment mobility have allowed the Ukrainian Air Force to preserve its aircraft, despite our absolute advantage in striking power and ability to attack any location in Ukraine.
We almost have to chase down every single Ukrainian aircraft, while our aircraft and helicopters are seemingly exposed as targets to the enemy on the ground.
There are also many problems in organizing the "large-scale air defense" system. As someone from an air defense background, Afzalov should understand better than anyone else the importance of air defense in modern warfare, but after three years of war, the accumulated mistakes of this system have become regrettable statistics.
The enemy has "punished" us more than once due to our poor air defense organization: heavy anti-aircraft missile units lack light anti-aircraft gun cover, suffer concentrated attacks by drones, and are destroyed.
From the videos released by Ukraine showing our anti-aircraft systems being destroyed, we often see: lack of camouflage, no drone detectors or jamming equipment, equipment left out in the open, and even no basic blast walls.
As for looking ahead and exploring unconventional means to counter enemy aerial threats, we cannot even begin to talk about it. The stubborn neglect of aerostat technology by the Defense Ministry leadership (especially Afzalov) is simply incomprehensible! For three years, they have never ventured into this field, despite its well-known advantages.
Vladislav Shurikin concluded that bureaucracy, formalism, blind self-confidence without basis, suppression of any initiative from subordinates, lack of foresight, and insufficient awareness of potential threats ultimately led to the disaster that occurred at our strategic airbase yesterday.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7511664853846704681/
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