'Russian disease' gnawing at Putin's army from within

According to the independent Ukrainian media outlet Euromaidan, which analysed Russian society, the ailment is rampant corruption.

For Oleksiy Zagorodnyuk, an independent researcher on the Russian war economy: "Endemic corruption has been a dominant factor in Russia's losses. The exclusive hierarchical structure of the Russian army, which depends on the head of state and is subject to little or no external scrutiny, encourages widespread corruption."

Still according to Euromaidan, the Russian elite often view conflicts led by Moscow as opportunities for personal enrichment. This mindset leads to inefficiency, overconfidence, and corruption, resulting in poor military performance, which could partly explain the total failure of the blitzkrieg Russia thought it would conduct in Ukraine.

And Oleksiy Zagorodnyuk concludes:

"The Russian disease of corruption isn't a contemporary phenomenon; its roots go back several centuries."

(MH with AmBar - Source: Euromaidan - Photo: © Unsplash)