Russian military bloggers took advantage of Zelenskyi’s visit to Kherson on Monday to criticize the Russian military more harshly than during the Dnipro retreat, the Institute for the Study of War notes in its latest assessment.

They mainly complained that Volodymyr Zelenskyi had arrived in the city and could move around without fear of Russian strikes, and wondered why Moscow’s forces had not started attacking the Ukrainian president.

Prominent blogger Rybar said it showed that Russia does not want to win the war and criticized Russian forces for allowing Zelensky to set foot on “Russian territory.”

He published a photo of Zelenskyi in Kherson in Telegram, adding: “Look carefully at this photo. The President of Ukraine is standing without a helmet and without a bulletproof vest among security guards in the middle of the city of Kherson. They protected him from possible suitors in the crowd. But, apparently, no one cares about a possible artillery or rocket attack.”

What the influential Russian blogger Rybar wrote in Telegram:

“Because they definitely weren’t there. After all, it was not in Raisin. It seems we can do anything. But at the same time we don’t want to.

(…) Such “speech” of the President of Ukraine in the Russian Kherson is a real media slap.

We are more than sure that the relevant authorities received relevant information regarding the upcoming arrival of an important person from Ukraine to Kherson. And several times. But someone on the spot must have been afraid to take responsibility for the blow. Someone was waiting for approval. Which did not come at all.

And nothing was done. How much more will we turn the other cheek? Many people like to curse the military: “Iskander” missiles do not hit, the fleet is bogged down and incapable, the soldiers are cowards. From our point of view, this is not the case. It’s about a lack of will. We don’t want to fight properly!”

Zelenskyi, a peaceful visit to Kherson

On Monday, Zelenskyi visited the liberated Kherson, and the Ukrainian president relaxed so much, despite the proximity to the front line, that he even joked: “I came for watermelons.”

Moscow limited itself to continuing to assert that the entire Kherson region is part of the Russian Federation. This, along with three other regions, was “annexed” by the Russians in September after pseudo-referendums.

“We will not comment, you know very well that this is the territory of the Russian Federation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday in the context of the withdrawal of Russian troops from this city last week.