Lieutenant General Serghei Storojenko, commander of the 6th Combined Army of Russia, is the highest-ranking defector among those waging war against the country of his birth. He grew up in a village two hours by car west of the city of Kupiansk, which is under siege by Russian troops led by him, reports The Telegraph.
He is tasked with the mission of recapturing this vital fortress on the northeastern edge of the front line, which has been under constant attack for two years. Kupiank was occupied in the early months of the war and liberated a few months later. Now Ukrainian forces are fighting to save it.
If it were to be conquered, it would represent a gateway for Russia to the extended region, threatening key supply lines and allowing Vladimir Putin’s forces to advance towards Kharkov, the second largest city in Ukraine, a more important target, although not an objective in itself.
Under Storojenko’s command, such a large number of Russian soldiers have been killed that Ukrainian bloggers have bitterly joked that they sometimes wonder if the general might be on their side.
A decorated former Ukrainian officer, he defected during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Currently, his difficult task probably makes him juggle degrees of truth about the situation on the battlefield – in such a way as to approach the version desired by the Kremlin.
Either showing indifference to facts or probably misinformed by the general’s reports, Vladimir Putin declared last week that thousands of Kiev’s soldiers from the city would be surrounded.
Even Russian propagandists have seen otherwise.
Major Victor Tregubov, the spokesperson for the Joint Forces Group of Ukraine, mocked what he called the “alternative reality” of the Russian leader.
“The city is far from being surrounded… Ukrainian defense is holding, but the situation is difficult – both statements can be true at the same time,” he told The Telegraph.
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