A Russian fellow on this topic explained that the mafia are part of the state, and that this intimidation against the military is deliberate in order to keep the military weak. Killing and firing worthy commanders is also deliberate.
The reason is because the State is a Security state operated by the KGB/FSB. They fear the power of the military and so they systematically ruin it. High positions are filled with FSB officers with no command experience. Generals or commanders who become too successful are treated like trash and sometimes removed or even killed if they manage to obtain some kind of fame, for fear that the general could become a political figure.
The result is that the military, aside from some special forces groups, is filled with the dumbest possible people who can only fight the enemy from a great distance. Hence wiping out entire Chechen cities with bombs and artillery. Same in Syria. And they’re working on that in Mariupol.
I feel bad for the soldiers on both sides but I’ve been seeing the footage regarding the Russian soldiers being killed when they probably could’ve been captured as prisoners. These are probably poor uneducated young man being led to the slaughter. Why would you allow convoys of Russian tanks with one or the most two vehicles at a time. When they die their bodies are cremated and no one back home is going to know the truth of what happened. This is sick and sad and the hard fact is our country is pushing for this war to continue.
Q: In the Russian Army how do you know who the level headed officers are?
A: They drool out of both sides of their mouths!
We have that in the US. We call it the "Internal Revenue Service"